


Zero Weakness But One

by Anime4us



Category: K (Anime)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-06-26 04:20:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15655641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anime4us/pseuds/Anime4us
Summary: Yukari's bored until he stumbles upon the awkward tension that surrounds Saruhiko Fushimi and Misaki Yata. HOMRA's vanguard is too easily riled, but... Scepter 4's third in command doesn't really blink in face of Yukari's riling, that is until Yukari zeros in on what does make Fushimi tick; Misaki. (Honestly most of the K project crew.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Theme: Set it off (The haunting)  
> yea, that's the song that I thought of that really speaks to their ship.  
> Anywho. So here's another fic.  
> It's probably not gonna hit the same 60K length like the other fics but then again I never know what's gonna happen.  
> So here's chapter one!  
> Do enjoy and send me a review!  
> Thanks for reading,  
> Anime4us

**Chapter 1**

Quiet days were always the hardest. It reminded him of days when it wasn't so quiet. Of days where Tatara would shove a camera in everyone's faces, or the days where Anna could coax a song out of him. Of days where Mikoto would chuckle when Kusanagi had a meltdown about the safety of his bar when things got too rowdy. It reminded him of days when he was just a middle school kid stumbling upon the reds for the first time. It reminded him of someone he desperately tried to block out.

"Damn traitor doesn't deserve my thoughts." Yata hissed, only to get a raised eyebrow out of his partner.

The red head kept pace with Kamamoto's walking speed, itching to pull on ahead on his board to find trouble that wasn't popping up. Ever since the silver king had implemented alliances he couldn't even take his pent-up anger out on the blues without any issues.

"You ok there Yata?" Kamamoto asked as he scratched at the back of his head.

"Fine. Let's get back. I don't like leaving Anna for so long." The vanguard stated with a sigh as he gave a light push against the ground, keeping his board in motion.

He didn't know when it got to the point where it was now, though he could probably trace it back to since before the blue king tore Mikoto away. He could probably trace it all the way back to middle school. When did he get so bloody attached to the people around him? Since when did the thought of losing a little girl cause a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach?

The door chimed as Yata kicked his board up and into his hand in a fluent motion. He sighed before walking into the bar. Red eyes looked up from a sparkling glass as the door fell closed behind him. Anna's lips left the straw as she cocked her head in slight questioning.

"Pretty quiet out there." Kamamoto stated as he practically collapsed into one of the bar's couches. "I don't even know why we go out anymore." The clansman breathed out.

Still, Anna kept her eyes on Yata as he sat at the bar after leaning his board on the wall near the door. She watched silently as he lifted his wrist towards himself and proceeded to play around with his watch.

"Cause it keeps you guys out of the bar and the bar clean." Kusanagi stated from where he was standing, white towel in hand as he wiped a shot glass down.

He set the glass down before glancing towards Anna. With a sigh and a small smile, he made his way to the wall of glasses that ordained the bar, reaching out and taking one down before filling it with soda. He set it down in front of the vanguard, earning his attention.

"Stop sulking, you're worrying Anna."

Yata glanced towards the side in slight shock to see Anna staring at him… or almost through him, as if looking for something that wasn't quite there. He forced a smile to his face.

"I'm fine. I swear!" He stated before laughing.

All the while Anna kept staring before sighing and breaking the eye contact.

"Your red wavers." Anna stated calmly as she jumped down from the barstool, her white locks falling into her face momentarily. "I hope you talk to one of us soon." With that, the red king excused herself and left the speechless room behind in favor of the rooms that stood above the bar.

0_0_0_0

How many times has he wiped at his face in the last hour? Every time he blinked the letters on the damn screen got more and more blurry. Whatever caffeine product he'd used, because he wasn't really sure what he was drinking anymore, wasn't working. Munakata had him working crazy hours for a stupid case. If it wasn't a case it was something else. Paper work for whatever, whether it was a finished case or something they were revisiting. The room was dark, it was probably some ungodly hour. He figured he'd be used to it by now. Those years that followed middle school had made him soft.

_That damn…_  he started the thought with a click of his tongue before shaking his head.

He needed to focus. He turned his attention back towards his computer before pushing back with yet another annoyed click of his tongue. He wasn't going to get any more damn work done tonight. Munakata was going nuts about the green clan and Awashima, while also constantly demanding more information, still found the time to nitpick at his informal way of speaking. Leaning back into his desk chair he let his eyes shut for a second, the bright screen from the computer lighting up the lenses of his glasses.

Maybe going out for fresh air would help. Fushimi stood, feeling the pressure in his joints as they cracked. He stretched his arms over his head getting rid of the stiffness from hours at the desk. He grabbed his blue coat before locking down his computer and leaving the room.

It was freezing outside. He could see his breath in front of him. Fushimi shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as he walked, searching for any salvation from the frigid air. He silently damned the cold whether.

The city only seemed to get more colorful at night. Multicolored adds doted the streets along with neon signs that beckoned those who still roamed the streets. Scepter 4's third rank roamed the streets, minding his own damn business because hell if he would take the time to step into any of the nasty clubs that ordained the streets.

Fushimi brought his hands out of his pockets to pull his collar up. He regretted the action almost instantly as the warmth he'd manage to accumulate in his pockets was now gone. He looked up in annoyance before once again shoving his hands into his pockets and continued making his way down the road.

Eventually a café popped up on the way and Fushimi dipped in, in search of salvation. Behind the door Scepter 4's clansman basked in the café's heating before hearing someone way too excited for three in the morning.

"Good morning! What can I get you today?"

Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance at the girl before turning away. Unfortunately, the café worker took no hints.

"Are we a fan of something chocolatey or something with caffeine?" She asked cheerfully.

Fushimi let the door fall closed behind him, shoving his hands into his pockets again, because hell if he was dealing with that shrill voice at three in the goddamn morning.

He took a couple more steps before recognition took him by slight surprise. He'd know that sound anywhere, hell, he'd spent years around it. He probably wasn't even aware of the grin that took over his feature as he made his way towards the park.

0_0_0_0

It was way too quiet. Again. Then again, it'd been quiet since the damn monkey had left. He hadn't really shared a room with anyone after the traitor had left him.

Yata clenched his jaw as he stared at the ceiling. His sheets lay twisted about and thrown haphazardly to the side. He shut his eyes slowly, almost as if it'd be enough to fall asleep. He prayed it was. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten five hours of sleep in succession.

HOMRA's vanguard tossed and turned for a while longer before groaning and sitting up. He stood from his bed before grabbing a pair of cargo pants and heading towards the door. He caught his reflection in the mirror before sighing and grabbing a beanie from the hook to hide the weird angles that his hair was sticking up at. A shiver ran up his back at the thought of going outside. He grabbed his jacket, zipping it up to cover the tank top underneath it before grabbing his skateboard and shutting the door behind him.

Even with his breath making itself known in the cold air, Yata didn't feel the cold. He had Anna to thank for that he supposed. First Mikoto, now Anna. Everyone seemed to move on rather quickly. Too quickly. He wished for their recuperative skills.

Looking up at the sky, he silently wondered if it would snow tonight. He pushed against the ground, with more force each time. Three in the morning meant no partner. No hate towards Kamamoto, it just meant he could go as fast as he wanted too. Fast enough that everything became a blur except the path right before him. It meant that the colors meshed together as he zoomed by them. It meant that the cold air kept his lungs open and he almost felt like he could breathe properly.

He kept going, no destination in mind. He slid down the railing into the park before his board caught him on solid ground again and he was moving down the paved road. And then his board was gone and he was rolling to the side. He was up almost the same second he hit the ground. His eyes danced around, in search of his assailant.

"Are we getting rusty Misaki?"

The way the name was drawled out caused him to clench his jaw. He hated his first name, and damnit the traitor knew it!

"Saruhiko!" HOMRA's vanguard growled.

Scepter 4's third in command stepped within the light of the park's street lamp with a smirk on his lips. In one hand he held several throwing blades while in the other sat Yata's skateboard. In the next moment, the blades were no longer in his hands and Yata was on the move, avoiding their sharp edges. Within close proximity, Yata's metal rod glowed with the pride of his red clan as Fushimi's saber glowed blue. A couple succession jabs had him back on his board and Fushimi playing defense with his throwing blades.

His skateboard made movement that much easier. It made avoiding those sharp edges all the easier.

"You're getting sloppy Misaki!" Fushimi called out just before one of his blades sliced through the sleeve of Yata's jacket, just barely skimming the skin clad within it.

Yata clenched his jaw before sending a heated kick in Fushimi's general direction, earning a chuckle before they were face to face once more, Fushimi's saber grinding angrily against Yata's weapon of choice.

With a triumphant growl HOMRA's vanguard swung his metal rod upward and sent Fushimi stumbling backwards.

"Play with fire and you'll get burned." He growled before kicking his board up and leaning his weapon against his shoulder as Fushimi gathered his grounds. He eyed Scepter 4's clansman before turning away with disgust. "I don't have time for traitorous scum." He spat before letting his board fall and taking off, the red clan's fire remnant for a couple seconds after his departure.

0_0_0_0

Things had gotten so boring lately it was almost unforgivable to keep living. That was what he had thought until he stumbled across a beautiful blue and red lightshow. The city was full of many night shows, but none that started at 3:23 in the morning and kept the audience that captivated.

Yukari knew the actors in the show quite well. His clan had riled both of theirs' up. Munakata Reisi's blue clan and Mikoto… no… Anna Kushina's red clan. They had beautiful vanguards that loved to show off. He couldn't contain his excitement as he watched the red clansman clash with the blue. The green clansman waited for the full out gang war that usually followed after one clash, but only one lightshow flashed across the skies, and even that one didn't last that long. Yukari watched as HOMRA's vanguard took off down the road, his clan's power pushing him forward and leaving the Scepter 4 officer in the dust. And suddenly he wasn't bored any more. Suddenly things weren't so bleak.

"I've found my entertainment." The green clansman murmured to himself with a slight smirk.


	2. Chapter 2

He'd managed to get one hour of sleep. Sort of. Either way, now he sat in Kusanagi's bar, staring at his PDA once again.

_It's a mailing service that only the two of us can use._

He rubbed his hands against his face before taking a sip of the orange juice that Kusanagi had set before him. It was supposed to help wake him up or something. Why was he thinking of that stupid monkey right now anyways?

Yata nearly dropped the glass when he felt someone touch his arm. His gaze darted towards his attacker to find Anna staring at his arm worriedly. He followed her gaze to see the beginnings of a red line poking out from his shirt sleeve. HOMRA's vanguard unconsciously covered the scratch with his other hand while smiling at Anna.

"It's nothing." He stated casually.

The red king frowned before reaching towards her clansman's hand. She took it in her tiny hands, moving it aside gently before rising the sleeve to his shirt to reveal the shallow cut.

"What happened?" She asked gently.

By now, they had the attention from just about everyone in the bar.

"Got into a scrap with one of the damn blues, no need to worry." Yata stated while chuckling awkwardly. "Really Anna, it's not deep or anything.

"Fushimi."

It was a statement more than a question, and the name cut his laughter off.

"Like I said, got stuck in a scrap with one of the blues. Nothing to worry about." Yata stated straight faced.

Anna shook her head before turning away and leaving. Yata sighed before bringing his glass to his lips once again. In the next beat, Anna was setting a box on the counter next to him and getting up on the stool. She popped the box open before turning back towards HOMRA's vanguard and rolling his sleeve up.

"Anna, I said I'm ok, ok?" Yata stated as he went to pull away, only to feel Anna wrap her hands around his arm and hold it in place, eyes burning with the want for compliance. One glance her way caused him to give up. She set his arm on the counter before turning towards the box she had brought back from her room. Kusanagi smiled silently as Anna pulled disinfectant from her box and screwed the cap off.

"We're lucky Fushimi doesn't lace his blades with poison, you'd be a goner." Kamamoto stated offhandedly, earning a glare from HOMRA's vanguard.

"Saruhiko isn't that shifty." He practically spat, earning a sheepish grin from his partner before the bigger man backed away.

Anna smiled softly before pressing a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant against the scratch and working towards cleaning, earning a wince from HOMRA's hotheaded clansman.

"You could be gentler." He mumbled under his breath.

"Is our vanguard so weak that a scrape will be the end of him?" Kusanagi quipped from behind the bar.

"Never! It doesn't even hurt!" Yata called out, feeling worked up.

Anna smiled as she pulled out some bandaging. She wrapped the boisterous clansman's arm up as Kusanagi continued to poke fun at her patient.

"All better." The red king murmured gently.

Yata paused in his loud rebuttal to turn back towards her and give her a genuine smile.

"Thanks Anna." He stated as he lifted his arm and made a fist.

"Finish your juice like a good boy." Kusanagi stated offhandedly, causing a bunch of HOMRA to chuckle in amusement and leave a loud and embarrassed vanguard to try and talk himself out of the continuous fun that the guys had at poking fun at him.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi was pretty sure that caffeine was the sole thing running through his veins. At this point he wondered how sleep worked. It was almost as if Munakata was purposely trying to keep him busy. So busy that he couldn't even afford a single goddamn hour of sleep.

"Did you get a location for that post, Fushimi?"

Scepter 4's third in command clicked his tongue in annoyance. He just wanted to be left alone. If he had the location they'd already have it.

"Fushimi?"

The blue clansman in question glance down at his keyboard, taking in his clenched fingers. He forced them to unclench and continued clicking away.

"Just leave him be. He's focused."

"I heard he's been up three days straight. I know we have to find this place before something happens and civilians get involved… but it's got to be tough."

"He's being useful, unlike someone who's just running their mouth."

"Is it not ok to be worried about a fellow clansman?"

"Get out." Both pairs of eyes turned his way. They cocked their heads in silent questioning. "If you're not going to shut up then get out. I can't hear myself think over your senseless babble." Fushimi stated, eyes having never left the screen. His fingers danced across the keyboard before he pulled back.

Did he say three days? It'd taken him three days? Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning his computer towards the two silent men at the table. He'd finally found the next place that the green clan's followers were going to gather in mass. This damn game was getting tiring. They'd already drawn both Scepter 4 and HOMRA into their last game. Why was Scepter 4 jumping at a bone yet again? The green clan hadn't attempted to rile any of the clans up this time. As far as Fushimi knew, they were even leaving the silver king and his clan members alone.

What was his plan? What did the green king want? What was Munakata looking for? Were they looking for something that wasn't there? Didn't Nagare already get his ass handed to him by the three allied clans?

"Woa! Hey! You cracked it! You're amazing Fushimi! We have to let Munakata and Awashima know straight away!"

Fushimi was staring at the ceiling as his fellow clansmen rushed out of the room. His laptop faced away from him, announcing the next location for the newest mission that Jungle had posted.

Jungle was getting fancier. Their game was getting annoying. Almost as annoying as the damn RPGs that Misaki had kept him up playing as kids. It was almost the same as the quests. Jungle followed the same schematics of points and power distribution, which had Munakata and the other kings quite annoyed, but their missions were becoming quest like. Fushimi had to follow a strange map of sorts to get to the damn location he just got to. He needed to trace past missions and link them up until the equation led to this one. He hated those RPGs, always prefer games with straight forward objectives with nothing asked on the side. Nothing to draw attention away from the main goal. A straight forward path that demanded nothing but single-minded focus.

Half an hour later Fushimi sat in the conference room as Awashima briefed everyone on the mission at hand. The guidelines were pretty simple; keep the pedestrians away from the green clan's addicted gamer idiots. Make sure to minimalize casualties. Munakata sat quietly at the head of the table, everyone else listening intently to Awashima until the meeting was adjourned and they were sent off to complete a mission of their own.

Fushimi set foot in his apartment for the first time in what felt like forever. He hated the bloody dorms that Scepter 4 had to offer. Munakata had early on agreed to Fushimi's request in different lodgings. After flipping the light switch Fushimi tossed his uniform and weapons onto his dresser before beelining to his small bathroom. The shower rained down on him, the blurry haze causing goosebumps to rise along his thighs and arms what with the warmth being such a clash to the harsh weather. Steam rose around him as he basked in the shower's warmth.

After a shower that had probably lasted a good hour, hour and a half, Fushimi lay on top of his bed, glasses abandoned on his nightstand since before said shower. Today's raid had gone well. Almost too easy if his opinion was asked for. There were little to no casualties. The greens that were at the scene had comical battle experience, even worse then the thugs that resided within HOMRA. What was the point in leaving such a hard to follow trail when there was nothing at the end? Nothing to hide. Just a bunch of idiot kids looking to cash in on some big time Jungle points.

Scepter 4's third in command allowed for his eyes to fall shut, more than seventy-two hours' work pelting against him at the same time. Thankfully, sleep accepted him readily.

0_0_0_0

Again, he sat staring at his ceiling. Eight o'clock stared at him before he turned towards the wall. HOMRA would still be open, but Yata couldn't bring himself to get out of bed. His bandaging got caught on his pillowcase, drawing his attention towards his arm.

_That damn monkey_.

Yata turned away from his wall and sighed heavily before pulling his watch up in front of his face. He poked around on his PDA before letting his room engulf in darkness once again. The ceiling was less and less interesting each night. It was too cold to have the window open. He missed being able to watch the stars and hear the planes and such pass by. He lay flat on his back, talking himself out of going out again, lest something like last night happen once again.

He flipped on his bed once again, accepting that, once again, tonight was going to be a long and restless night. It was getting worse and worse. He was certain that Anna had noticed, it was why she was always sending him those worried looks. He needed to figure out how to sleep and quick… If not for his sake, then for hers.

0_0_0_0

Yukari stared at his screen with growing delight. The grin on his face couldn't grow any larger. He'd done it. That blue had cracked the bloody… whatever it was called! Yukari was no computer genius, he left that to the others, but he'd kept an eye out. He'd monitored the missions that were sent out. He could never miss one, lest he miss something of beauty or exciting.

He'd remember having once called this boy an ally. The boy who had beaten Sukuna's record of having leveled up to J-rank in their game. This was a beautiful development. His boredom was melting away almost instantaneously.

"Saruhiko Fushimi." Yukari breathed the name, excitement leaking through his words. He had so many plans lined up for this boy. This boy would follow his games like a rat trapped in a maze. True beauty came in the form of this entertainment.

Resting his hand on the hilt of the blade his master had left him, Yukari sat back and watched the replay as Scepter 4's third in command rushed towards a group of expendable pawns. The grin grew as he watched Fushimi wield his blade, knocking back his adversaries with calculated finesse.

The blue's face almost never changed, only going from bored to annoyed and back again, as if those were the only two faces he could manage. Yukari watched as the pawns were thrown about leaving no challenge for Scepter 4's third in command.

He'd cracked the code and then he'd helped in shutting the pseudo operation down before it could even happen.

Yukari had already set up the next move, or perhaps saying he'd gotten someone else to write up a different code to dangle before Munakata's Brainiac was more accurate. If he could crack this one he'd have yet another created, each one harder than the last, to keep Scepter 4 busy.

Yukari found himself wanting to see what other emotions he could make surface on Fushimi's face. How could he amp up the entertainment value? What pushed Munakata's Brainiac's buttons? What made him squirm? What made that cool and indifferent mask shatter and slip away? What was Saruhiko Fushimi's weakness?


	3. Chapter 3

"How is my little monkey?"

Fushimi's eyes snapped opened, his dark room coming into focus instantly. He sighed heavily, draping an arm over his eyes. It had been a long time since he'd gotten any sleep, much less deep enough to have a goddamn nightmare.

Scepter 4's third in command wiped away the sweat that had announced his discomfort before sitting up. He reached towards his nightstand before pushing his glasses onto his face. His eyes fell towards his alarm clock, his tongue clicking at the 4:41 AM that stared him in the face. He threw his blankets aside before getting out of bed. He grabbed a sweater from his closet, instantly feeling the loss of heat from the cocoon of blankets he had slept within.

In the kitchen he pulled the freezer door open, sifting through the many different freezer meals that adorned it's shelves. He pulled out one that contained nuggets and fries before throwing it in the microwave to nuke it. While the microwave hummed to life he pulled his PDA out of his pocket to occupy his hands as he waited for the food. His eyes were drawn towards the activation screen. It showed him who was active via message at this time. Not many people were, most of them had regular sleeping schedules, and those that didn't because of Munakata's tyrant hours, slept well when they could.

Fushimi's eyes were drawn to a single name that was active now at five in the morning. Why it was that Misaki was up at this hour when HOMRA wasn't even open had Fushimi lost. Then again it seemed that HOMRA's vanguard was always awake. Fushimi wasn't stupid, he'd seen the change in demeanor over the past months. He'd seen the way both Tosuka and Mikoto's deaths had weighed heavily on Misaki's shoulders. HOMRA's vanguard got attached to people too quickly. He accepted people too simply. He'd seen it with himself in middle school. He'd seen it when the focus had shifted once Mikoto came into the equation.

Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance before dropping his PDA on the table and popping the microwave open to grab his finished food. He set it on the table before ripping the carboard like paper off the top and watching the steam rise before he reached towards a nugget and took a bite. He munched aimlessly on his food as he scanned through different apps on his PDA. Six o'clock was quickly approaching and Awashima would never let him hear the end of it if he was late. He tossed the untouched corn into the trash before grabbing his gear and blue coat before pulling the door closed behind him.

The frigid early morning air assaulted him full on. Scepter 4's third in command shoved his hands as deep as they'd go into his pockets as he made his way towards the blue headquarters.

0_0_0_0

Yata got up at some ungodly hour. He really wasn't sure what time it was or how long he'd slept, if at all. One look at his watch would solve that dilemma but HOMRA's vanguard couldn't bring himself to check the clock. He flipped his TV on and booted up his gaming system controller in hand. The home screen broadcasted that it was 6:39 in the morning. Yata yawned as he chose a game to play. A couple minutes later he was mashing away combos on his controller to defeat a mini boss to advance to the next part of his quest.

He remembered playing games such as these as a middle school brat. He remembered the nights in which he and Saruhiko would play into the early hours of the morning if they could keep the volume low enough to not alert his mother to their actions. He remembered how Saruhiko would stare boringly at the screen while Yata himself mashed crazy combos to take down a mission boss.

Yata grumbled as the mini boss killed his character and 'game over' took over his screen. He hit try again and repeated the mini boss challenge a couple of times before growing annoyed and chucking the controller aside. He shut his TV off before flopping onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He was pretty sure he'd memorized each and every crack and crevasse that his ceiling had to offer.

Eventually the clock hit eight in the morning and the vanguard was able to talk himself into heading to HOMRA where he'd bother Kusanagi for some grub. Grabbing his board he pulled the door shut behind him before taking off towards his second home. He kept his hands in his pockets as he sped towards the bar, not because he was cold but because it was comfortable more than anything.

When he got close he kicked his skateboard up and caught it before letting himself in. Just like every other day, Yata leant his board by the door before making his way towards the bar stools. Anna looked up from what looked to be crepes and fruits before smiling.

"Good morning Misaki." She greeted gently.

"Mornin'." Yata replied as he let himself behind the bar. "Kusanagi in the back?" He then asked as he hung his coat over the bar.

"He's taking a phone call." The red king replied before eating a piece of strawberry.

"Leave any for me?" HOMRA's vanguard ventured with a small smile.

Anna glanced down at her plate before pushing it towards Yata.

"You can have it." She stated.

"Are you kidding, Kusanagi would eat me alive if I took any of that." Yata exclaimed with a grin.

"Yata!" As if on que the bartender called out towards him, causing Yata to wince comically. "Jacket off my bar! You know where the damn coat rack is!" Kusangi stated as he stepped out from the back to find that HOMRA's vanguard had thrown his jacket haphazardly over his precious bar counter.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Yata called with a huff before grabbing his coat off the counter and making his way to the back where the kitchen resided.

"What's wrong Anna? Is the food not good?" The bartender asked as he stepped towards his king, noticing that she'd pushed the plate away.

Anna shook her head gently before bringing the plate close to her once again. "Misaki was asking for some." She replied with a small smile.

Kusanagi straightened up slightly as he glanced towards his kitchen, silently praying that their vanguard didn't blow his beautiful bar sky high with his cooking.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi was pretty sure the greens were just toying with them now. He didn't really understand what Nagare's plan was which caused even more of an annoyance. He tried to rack his brain for a good reason the greens would bother setting up all these damn missions. It's not like they accomplished anything except for the blues stomping on their small fry. It wasn't worth the work. It wasn't worth the last seventy-two hours he'd spent trying to crack the last one.

Now, once again, Awashima was laying documents before him with instructions to figure out what their newest mission consisted of. Why he was wasting his time doing such trivial work was beyond him. Hadn't Munakata realized that the greens were just keeping them busy? And if that was the case, what for? Were they keeping the task force busy or were they keeping the blues busy? It was hard to decipher, even for the blue's Brainiac. If they were setting up these little missions to keep the task force busy, then perhaps they were planning something bigger on the side, something that required time. Something that had nothing to do with kings and clansman. On the contrary, if they were targeting the blues in the sense of their king, were they keeping them busy so that they could focus on the other clans? On the silver king? On the red king?

Fushimi's fingers continued to dance across the keyboard as these thoughts swam around his mind. He was looking for the bigger picture and was coming up blurry at best.

"Oi, Fushimi. I've called to you like six times."

Scepter 4's third in command turned his gaze towards one of his fellow Scepter 4 officers.

"A bunch of us are going out for drinks, you should come along." Domyoji stated before smiling.

"Fushimi never comes to these things unless Munakata drags him there." Benzai stated with a shrug.

"Yea, but he's been working real hard! Hey Fushimi, let me buy you a drink." Domyoji stated with a bright smile.

Fushimi's gaze fell on his laptop's screen once again. He didn't have time for useless team bonding exercises. He was still trying to crack this bloody code, not to mention solve the whole equation. He'd only deciphered the very simple aspect of green versus blue so far and it was driving him insane. He silently wondered whether any of the other clans were facing any turbulence from the greens.

"Hey! Common Fushimi! Don't just ignore me! I'm offering to spend my hard-earned money on a drink for you. At least answer me!"

"No." Scepter 4's third in command stated, not taking his eyes off of the screen in front of him.

"No... you won't answer me? Or no you won't let me buy you a drink?" Domyoji asked, deflating somewhat.

"Both." Fushimi huffed out as he continued to work at the green's encryption.

"But you're answering me right now." Domyoji pouted somewhat.

"Don't you have traffic you can go play in?" Fushimi stated while directing a glare towards his fellow Scepter 4 officers.

"Alright. We're getting out of your hair. Sheesh." Benzai grumbled before directing a deflated Domyoji out of the office.

Fushimi sighed softly before focusing on the laptop screen once again. His fingers continued to tap away at the keyboard, not stopping at each dead end he hit but instead pushing towards the next path.

"Going out for a drink with them might do you some good Fushimi." Scepter 4's third in command didn't look away from his laptop, hoping his response to those words were loud and clear. "Just because you ignore me doesn't mean I'll disappear." Munakata said after having chuckled at his third in command's defiance. Fushimi still kept silent as his fingers pounded against the keyboard. "It looks as though Domyoji hasn't given up on making you more sociable." The blue king mused. Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance at his king's words, trying to ignore him as he worked. "Don't make me ban you from the office tonight. Go out and try and relax. You're way too pent up. Even Awashima is worrying about you." Scepter 4's third in command clicked his tongue yet again, still refusing to pay his king any attention. He heard the blue king walking towards him and just barely managed to pull his fingers away from the keyboard before Munakata shut the laptop on them. "Dismissed." Munakata stated with a smile, causing Fushimi to scowl.

0_0_0_0

Yata yawn for the zillionth time since they've left HOMRA. Kamamoto looks to his side to see Yata stretching his arms over his head, rolling beside him lazily as they made their rounds.

"Hey man, are you sleeping?" The blond ventured.

He watched as his partner tensed mid stretch before letting his arms fall.

"Ya man, I'm sleeping." Yata stated, not bothering to cover up the slight voice crack that accommodated that sentence.

"If you say so…" Kamamoto stated with a shrug.

He'd tried, there wasn't much else he could do. He'd asked, if his fellow clansman and partner didn't want to talk then who was he to continue prying. If there was any huge problems Anna would step in, he was sure of it.

They were walking casually when Yata suddenly stopped and kicked his board up, ducking to use it for cover. Kamamoto's eyes widened as the blades clattered to the ground before Yata stood up once again. Even without the way Yata's eyes hardened it wasn't hard for the blond to figure out who the throwing blades belonged to. That, and of course the way the attacker drawled out his partner's first name.


	4. Chapter 4

Kamamoto felt ignored. He's tried to interfere a couple of times but Yata kept turning him down and he really didn't know what to do. Fushimi had no interest in him as his saber clashed with Yata's skateboard. The blue clansman continuously riled the smaller red clansman up by calling out his first name and drawing out each syllable. Kamamoto simply watched from the sidelines. Most of the pedestrians had cleared out. Some were filming the ordeal with their PDAs and other devices while others were cheering on either side from their own ideals. Either way, Eventually Kusanagi showed up with Anna right behind him and Awashima steps in, Munakata beside her, hand covering a slight smirk that everyone knows is there.

"That's enough Yata." Kusanagi calls.

"Stand down Fushimi!" Awashima demands, earning a tongue click from the subordinate she demands follow her orders.

Yata pulls back first, jaw clenched as he stops his board just beside Anna. Kusanagi lights a cigarette, pointedly leaving his lighter alit. Fushimi sheathed his sword and stood a couple paces away from Awashima and his king alike.

"I hope we haven't caused any issues." Anna states gently.

"Huh?! Anna, that monkey-" Yata groans after Kusanagi decks him to silence him.

"No trouble. When the cat's away the mice shall play." Munakata answers with a slight grin.

Fushimi clicks his tongue, annoyed at how things were cut off.

0_0_0_0

"We were mindin' our own business! Just doing our rounds!" Yata exclaimed from where he sat at the bar, soda in hand as Kusanagi set some clean glasses in place.

"He's not wrong. We were just about to finish up our rounds." Kamamoto mutters from the couch.

"Either way. You're lucky that Anna came to save your ass." Kusanagi stated as he set juice in front of the red king, earning a smile as thanks.

"Who needs saving?" Yata grumbled. "I had it under control."

"Fushimi could have skewered you at any moment with how sloppy your defense was." Anna murmured gently from beside him.

"Aw not you too Anna." Yata grumbled in defeat.

"Misaki. You're not alone. You do know that, right?" The red king murmured, her voice gentle and quiet, almost masked by the racket that the rest of the clan was making within the bar. Yata's eyes widened a fraction as he turned towards his king. She had worry in her eyes, but a soft smile rested on her lips. "I want you to talk to me. Even if only just a little. I grow more and more worried for your mental state every passing day." Anna murmurs gently, keeping the conversation private between the two of them. Still, Yata's eye remain widened with shock.

"I'm fine Anna, I swear-" Yata stops as Anna opens her mouth to speak once more.

"Some day, I hope you begin to rely on me like you relied on Mikoto. Just like how you asked me to rely on you." The red king stats before bringing her juice to her lips.

0_0_0_0

"It has come to our attention that a rogue strain is on the loose." Awashima states, the meeting about the greens having just come to a close and the next issue now being addressed.

"Aren't all strains… rogue? I mean, except for the silver king's clansman and the red king?" Domyoji murmurs, only to earn a pointed look from the lieutenant. He quickly apologizes before allowing the meeting to continue.

"We are aware that strains play upon a human's sense. Hearing, seeing, touch. These are all things that a strain can and will manipulate if the occasion for it arises. What we've been able to scrounge together so far is that this strain in particular has the ability to play on your memories. Force images from the past or meld images from the past and the present. It's a tricky…."

Fushimi tunes Awashima's voice out in favor of retreating into his own mind. Awashima laced into him for an hour when they got back. She pelted him on how he'd 'tarnished the good will of the captain' by engaging with one of the red clan. She had seemed adamant on his rude demeanor when faced with two kings. She also decided to remind him about the current agreements that the silver, red and blue clans shared with one another as if it was anything that concerned him. No, Fushimi didn't much care for Awashima's lecture, and much to her chagrin he'd tuned out for most of it, only getting the gist of what she really wanted to get across. All the while Munakata sat at his desk with that annoying grin of his. Fushimi hated that look, as if the damn blue king knew something he didn't and wanted him to know it.

In the end it was Munakata that released him from Awashima's clutches, reminding her that she had a meeting she needed to get ready and set up for.

"On top of dealing with the green clan's petty missions make sure to keep an eye out for the civilians' safety. Meeting adjourned." Awashima concluded the meeting before setting her papers down.

Several Scepter 4 members stood and stretched as they made their way towards the door. Fushimi was one of the first to leave, avoiding all talk about going out for drinks with anyone, especially Domyoji. He grabbed his coat and gear before heading out of the building. The sky was grey as he made his way home. He clenched his jaw at the thought of it snowing. It was already cold enough without the snow to fall on his head.

He was turning the corner when he caught someone in the corner of his eyes. His eyes widened a fraction, all his muscles tensing at the same time. He turned around quickly, eyes landing on the figure. Fushimi let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The person before him rose a brow in questioning before side stepping him and continuing down the street, not the image he'd thought he'd seen. Of course not, that man was dead. There was no way that man could possibly be walking the streets. It was wholly impossible, and yet still, Fushimi couldn't uncoil the tightly wound mess of muscles after having seen an apparition of his father out of the corner of his eyes.

Fushimi forced himself to take yet another breath, forcing his features to melt into the cool indifference he was so used to showing. He focused on then unclenching his fingers, even though the clothe of his pockets hid them. The next step was to take casual steps.

Niki was dead. There was no way he was simply walking down the streets. He'd seen the corpse! He'd ignored the funeral sure, but there was no unseeing the dead man that had been his father, laying on that medical table. There was no way he'd casually bump into him on the streets. Niki was dead.

0_0_0_0

Yata pushed his board forward, hands resting in his pockets. Anna's words had definitely left an impact on him. She was right, he had probably bitten off more than he could chew. Not only was she right about that, he'd definitely made a big deal about her having to trust him more and then he'd turned around and been a complete hypocrite. Of course he hadn't done it on purpose, honestly, he just didn't want her having to worry about his problems. She already had enough on her plate without his sleepless nights to worry about. Then again, Anna had been pretty clear about already worrying about it.

Yata groaned out loud out of frustration as he turned the corner. HOMRA came into view as he pushed his board towards it. Kicking it up he let himself in, bringing a smile up and he was greeted.

"Good evening Yata." Kusanagi called from where he was polishing the bar counter.

"Hey." He called in return as he lay his board against the wall by the door.

He'd gone out for a bit of fresh air after Anna had spoken to him earlier. He'd needed time to process her words somewhere quieter than the at the time full bar.

"Misaki." Anna had walked up to him with a soft smile.

"What's up Anna?" HOMRA's vanguard ventured lightly.

"Seri called. She wanted to let us know that there was a strain causing problems and to be aware of our surroundings." The red king explained before heading back towards her barstool.

Yata smiled as she walked away before heading towards her and sitting on the stool next to her. The bar was empty except for Kusanagi and Anna, which Yata couldn't bring himself to mind. He watched Anna sip at her drink out of the corner of his eye before sighing gently and earning her attention.

"I'm not sleeping at night anymore." He murmured, slightly embarrassed to be saying it out loud. Anna didn't say anything, instead she smiled and turned her full attention towards her vanguard.

He knew she would listen. He knew she wanted him to talk to her. So he was going to try, for her sake.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi was still worked up as he waited for his microwaved dinner to heat up. He tapped at his forearm impatiently, growing irritated rather quickly. No matter how many times he reminded himself that Niki was dead, childhood memories resurfaced causing his fingers to clench into fists.

A school project he'd spent weeks on, gathering the data and keeping it neat and perfect to hand in when the due date came, only to come home to the shattered ecosystem he'd been studying. The later issues when his teacher had demanded why he hadn't bothered to do his project. The day Misaki had come to visit, insisting on taking care of his cold. The day Niki had threatened one of the only people that mattered. The day he'd practically thrown Misaki out of his house out of fear that Niki would actually act upon his threats like he always happened to do.

The dinging of the microwave startled Scepter 4's third in command. He scratched at the back of his head, clicking his tongue at himself. He needed to relax. He popped the microwave door open and grabbed his dinner.

"Hey monkey, were you lonely without me?"

Just as he turned with his food, it slipped from his fingers. Where? Where was he? Where did that voice come from? Fushimi's fingers were clenched at his sides once again. Was he going insane? It was one thing to have nightmares about his parental figure, but right now he was wide awake and hearing his voice.

Scepter 4's third in command glanced down at the floor and clicked his tongue once more. His mac and cheese was all over the floor. Pulling his glasses off his face he rubbed at the lenses with his shirt, feeling his irritation tightening his muscles.

"You were, weren't you?"

Fushimi clenched his jaw as Niki's voice rang out once again. He couldn't understand it, which was causing him even more anger. He could feel his heart convulsing and hated himself for it. Even after death his father was causing him this… fear.

Scepter 4's third in command pushed his glasses back on his face before he bent down to pick up his mess. He threw it away before turning his tap water on to rinse his hands.

Was he actually going insane? He didn't have any explanation for what was going on around him. Fushimi hated how tense he was feeling. He abandoned any thoughts of dinner and chose instead to simply head to his room. Niki's laughter followed him there. Fushimi collapsed into his bed before pressing his hands to his ears. It didn't much more than to muffle the convoluted laughter. Fushimi was starting to feel nauseous as he tried to block Niki's voice.

"You can't ignore me forever monkey." Niki purred before another bout of laughter followed.

Fushimi didn't even realize it himself but his eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were pressed so firmly over his ears that they shook.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

He actually managed to sleep a solid five hours in succession. Yata sat up feeling rather rested, a feeling he had been starting to forget how to feel. He and Anna had chatted for a couple of hours, she'd been more than happy to let him unload, and even though he felt as though he had hung his dirty laundry out for her to clean, he had to admit that he did feel that much better. Kusanagi had played a part in laying dinner out for the two of them as they spoke. He'd smiled before once again retiring to the back, asking only that they call him if someone ventured in for a drink.

Standing, Yata stretched his arms above his head before heading towards his washroom. After showering he grabbed his board and made his way towards HOMRA. He threw the door open with a smile before pulling it closed behind him.

"Good morning Misaki." Anna called gently from where she sat eating some fruit that Kusanagi had most likely lain before her.

"Mornin'!" HOMRA's vanguard called cheerfully as he grabbed the stool next to her.

"Your red is pretty today." Anna said softly, earning a grin from her vanguard.

0_0_0_0

Seri didn't really know what was going on with their third in command. He had a short fuse today, though a short fuse from Fushimi wasn't really any different to any other day. She was starting to get antsy with how often his eyes would dash across the room. The stack of paper on his desk wasn't getting done, though she really couldn't bring herself to chastise the boy. He looked exhausted. She was used to seeing him tired when he worked several days on a case that the captain had assigned to him, but she'd never seen him exhausted, nor did he ever leave his work undone.

She glanced towards her captain to notice that he too was watching their third in command. His face was expressionless as Fushimi's eyes darted across the room once again. Seri wasn't used to seeing Fushimi so jittery and it was playing on her nerves as well.

0_0_0_0

He wouldn't shut up. Fushimi was pretty certain that he had gone insane. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night and he had Niki to thank for that. Now he was at work too? All he did was call out his name. Fushimi couldn't see him, which had his nerves completely fried. He kept checking his surroundings to no avail. No matter how many times he checked Niki was nowhere to be found.

"Fushimi."

Scepter 4's third in command nearly jumped out of his skin when someone placed their hand on his shoulder. It took every ounce of concentration to appear calm and collected before turning towards the lieutenant.

"What is it?" He asked courtly.

Awashima frowned before letting her hand fall away from his shoulder.

"Is there something bothering you?" She murmured so quietly that he almost missed it.

He hated that tone. Was that pity? He didn't want it. Not from her, not from anyone. Fushimi clenched his jaw before shaking his head and turning back towards his computer screen. He could tell that she wanted to prod further but she instead clenched her own jaw before speaking once more.

"Very well. If an issue does arise you know where to find me." She stated before heading back to her desk.

"Sure." Fushimi muttered under his breath before focusing on his screen once more.

Even with her offer on the table he'd never seek her out. He didn't have anything he needed to talk to her about. There was no need to act buddy-buddy with the lieutenant. The sole relation they had to each other was purely professional.

Time passed by way too slowly. No matter how hard he tried to focus on his work Niki was right there to demand his attention. Constantly calling out at him, laughter echoing off the walls. Fushimi was no fool, he was the only one hearing the voice, otherwise the others would be glancing around to find the source.

No, he was the only one to hear it, and it followed him home. His muscles were so tense he was sure he'd snap at any given moment. Most of his fellow officers had avoiding him all day, the only one brave enough to talk to him being the lieutenant, and even at that her words were court and straight to the point.

"Monkey."

"Shut up!" Fushimi snapped, slamming his fist into his kitchen table, anger radiating off of him in waves.

0_0_0_0

Seri couldn't do it any more. It had been a week and Fushimi was still on edge. He'd nearly killed Domyoji when the latter had mentioned going out for lunch. She was going to lose her mind if he continued to be so jittery. She'd reached out and offered help on many occasions but she knew how Scepter 4's third in command could be. He wasn't one for reaching out towards anyone, always one to deal with his own issues as they arose.

She glanced towards Fushimi's desk to see that the other had stood abruptly. She watched in silence as he made his way towards the exit, his demeanor speaking volumes for what he was hiding from them all. She could see it in the way he clenched his fingers. In the way he took a second to take a breath and force himself to walk out of the room without making something explode with his gaze.

She was tired of watching him practically flinch anytime someone made there way towards him. No, it wasn't normal for Scepter 4's third in command and it certainly wasn't healthy for her heart. She'd caught Munakata watching Fushimi on multiple accounts, but the captain hadn't talked to Fushimi once outside of work. She silently wondered if he was leaving it up to her.

Seri reached into her pocket and pulled her personal phone out before standing and heading somewhere more private. If Fushimi wasn't going to rely on her, there had to be one person he would talk to, and she thought she knew just who this person was. She pressed her phone to her ear, listening to the ring tone for a couple seconds before the person on the other end picked up.

"It's always nice to hear from you Seri." Kusanagi answered rather cheerfully.

0_0_0_0

Anna watched as Misaki laughed boisterously at something Kamamoto had said. She was pleased to see her vanguard smiling naturally once again, eradicating the fake smile she had been growing accustom to.

Although she'd had to wrap his arm she couldn't help but feel thankful towards the blue's third in command. Both he and Misaki had joined HOMRA together. Though Fushimi seemed to thrive on the betrayal that leaked through Misaki's tone alongside his anger, the red king was almost certain that the blue cared more for HOMRA's vanguard then the entirety of HOMRA could ever try to understand.

Anna's scarlet eyes rose from where they rested on her vanguard and Kamamoto to instead land on Izumo as he stepped out from the back, pocketing his phone as he met her eyes. He smiled though the red king could see the concern his sunglasses failed to hide. She tilted her head to the side, her snow-white locks falling down her shoulders are she awaited the news.

"Seri called to ask us for help… or perhaps it'd be more accurate to say that she requested our vanguard's assistance." HOMRA's second in command murmured gently, his words only meant for his king's ears.

Anna pressed her lips together in response to Izumo's words before speaking. "What's wrong with Fushimi?" She murmured.

Izumo's eyes widened in minute surprise before a chuckle escaped his lips. "Seri says that he hasn't been himself lately, though, I honestly don't know what that means when concerning our double agent. Perhaps he's planning on becoming a silver clansman this time." Izumo mused only to get a look of disapproval from his king. "I'm kidding. I told Seri that I'd let Yata know what's going on and he'll decide what he wants to do from there. We can't force him into anything he doesn't want to do."

Anna sighed gently before speaking once more. "Misaki doesn't need convincing when Fushimi's part of the equation, and I believe the feeling is mutual for the latter as well."

Izumo merely smiled at his king, mutual understanding in the midst.

0_0_0_0

Yata rode down the streets at a leisurely pace, hands in his pockets as his board carried him by familiar grounds. Kusanagi had let him know about Saruhiko's odd behavior, and though the first emotion to blossom was worry— anger still bloomed at the thought of the damn monkey—For now he was more annoyed that Kusanagi had set him out alone to go after the blue. Even Kamamoto had said he was busy with other business, so for now HOMRA's vanguard roamed the streets at his own pace, keeping in the back of his mind that he should be keeping an eye out for the blue. Apparently Saruhiko was acting strangely according to the blue's second in command. He wondered if she even knew what Saruhiko's 'normal' was.

The HOMRA member watched as his breath rose before his eyes. If Saruhiko was actually outside in this weather he was probably freezing to death. He could remember all the way back to middle school. The damn monkey could never withstand the cold very well, ironic for the color of his clan. Saruhiko was always catching colds way too easily. Yata couldn't keep count of the many times he'd taken care of a sickly Saruhiko though the latter had always made it a fairly difficult task. That being said, everyone got moody when they were sick, so perhaps Saruhiko just had a cold. Either way, HOMRA's vanguard was still trying to figure out why it was his problem that Saruhiko had a cold. The blue's second in command didn't know how to call for a doctor?

"Whatever." Yata grumbled out loud as he kicked at the ground, speeding up as he made his way down the road.

In the end the three clans—blue, red and silver—had agreed to a treaty of sorts. They were technically supposed to work together to protect what was important. Then again, Saruhiko wasn't much of a team player.

Yata ruffled his own hair in annoyance at the situation before him. Saruhiko wasn't a kid anymore, why in the hell did he have to go check on him? Chances were that he'd show up and Saruhiko would be absolutely fine. Not only that, but he'd probably tease him for something or another and they'd get into a needless fight. Even if he wasn't alright he'd never say anything anyways. It's just the way Saruhiko was. Even when they were younger it was a chore to ever get Saruhiko to lean on him for the smallest of things.

What was he even doing? What was the point of going to look for the damn monkey anyways? He knew Saruhiko would make fun of him for caring, much less thank him for giving a shit, so why was he going out of his way to make sure that a blue clansman out of everything was alright?

Yata pulled at his hair again, frustration and confusion causing him anguish because he knew the answer to those bloody questions. No matter how many times he lashed out at the taller boy, no matter how many times he told himself otherwise, there was no escaping the fact that he did care. After everything that they'd been through, how could he simply turn the switch and decide that Saruhiko Fushimi was nothing to him? How could he forget the nights they spent together getting shushed by his mother when they were too loud, or the dinners they shared on holidays Saruhiko had never really cared to celebrate? No, there was no way he could forget those memories, and Saruhiko's leaving had only proven that right from the beginning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Saru**= Japanese work for monkey**

Fushimi was losing it. No matter where he went Niki was laughing at him. No matter where he turned, his father called his nickname out. There was no love behind that name, something Fushimi had learnt at a fairly young age. People like Niki should never have kids. People like Niki shouldn't even have a wife.

The blue ruffled at his hair angrily as he turned down another street. When would he be free? When would Niki leave him alone? He should be gone. Why was it that not even death let him escape his deranged father's torture?

"Common Monkey, you can't keep running away forever." Niki's voice echoed.

0_0_0_0

Yukari watched as Saruhiko Fushimi stumbled down the streets. He'd taken the boy's calm and calculative demeanor and thrown it straight out the window. Pouncing now would be too easy. It would be no fun. It definitely would not be beautiful. The boy before him wouldn't even notice if the green passed him on the streets. It's probably why he didn't really notice the fiery red boy on the skateboard.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi felt the firm hand clasping on his shoulder before anything. He'd had enough. Niki was going too far. Now he could poke at him physically? No, he wouldn't let Niki evolve that far.

"Oi, Saru**-"

Those words were stopped short as the blue whirled around, one of his daggers in his hand and buried deeply into Niki's hip.

"-hiko?..."

The conviction at the beginning of his name had died into a question, and that was definitely not the response he was waiting on. Had he grown taller than Niki in all these years? He'd always felt that Niki was so much taller than him. There was no way this would be enough to silence his diabolical father, but he wanted to see the damn look on his face after he'd retaliated. Saruhiko Fushimi wasn't a little boy anymore. No, he'd learnt to take care of himself. He'd leant to protect himself. He'd learnt to—Was that Misaki?!

Widened eyes stared back at him in surprise before they pushed away from the blue and stumbled back a couple of paces.

"Misaki?" Fushimi breathed in both disbelief and surprise.

The HOMRA vanguard in question brought shaky hands towards the blade that stuck out of his hip. The white sweatshirt and green cargo pants he always wore were being stained by his very own red. Misaki was bleeding. Misaki was hurt. Misaki was hurt because of him.

Fushimi reached out as Misaki stumbled towards him.

"Fuck." The shorter breathed out as he pushed the blue away. "You asshole!" He then yelled as he leant up against the brick building he'd backed into. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" Misaki slipped down the wall until the ground caught him, sending shockwaves of pain through him. He pressed feebly at the wound that still had the offending blade sticking out of it, and through it all, Fushimi stood still in his own shock.

What the hell was going on? He was fighting Niki was he not? He wasn't fighting Misaki! Where the hell had HOMRA's vanguard even popped out of!?

"C-call a hospital you asshole!" Misaki's words snapped him out of his reverie.

"I can take you." Fushimi stated, taking a step towards Misaki.

"Screw you! Call an ambulance!" Misaki hissed.

Fushimi clenched his jaw before putting the call in. Misaki sat leaning into the wall. His fingers shook as he wrapped them around Fushimi's blade. He took a deep breath before yanking the blade out, bringing on yet another flood of red. There was too much red.

Fushimi watched as Misaki took a shuddering breathe and pressed his fingers against the wound, wincing as he did so.

"Idiot, let me help." Fushimi stated as he came towards the red head once again.

"Don't touch me!" Misaki hissed.

Fushimi froze in the middle of bending to get better access to the wound.

"Just let me-"

"You've done enough, traitor." Misaki hissed, an angry glare rising to meet Fushimi's gaze.

"You're becoming more like me, Monkey. Who needs friends anyways?" Niki's voice rang out in a playful tune.

Fushimi stood abruptly and walked right out of the alleyway that Misaki had stumbled into, the sounds of sirens making themselves known.

0_0_0_0

Anna stood with Izumo, watching as her vanguard's chest rose and fell in a rhythmic beat. He was resting after having had his hip stitched up. She frowned heavily. The whole of HOMRA kept coming in and out of the hospital to visit him. The doctor had been adamant on keeping him in the hospital much to Misaki's chagrin.

Anna had been more than happy to agree. She wanted him to rest and heal. There was no reason for him to over work himself in his condition. There was just one thing bothering her. Misaki had gone out to find Fushimi… so it stood to reason that he had been the one to hurt him. Of course, she was almost certain that Fushimi hadn't hurt her vanguard purposely. She was absolutely certain that Misaki was one of the most important, if not the most important, person to Fushimi; even if he chose to display no outright care for him.

"Alright. Yata will get angry if I keep you here all day. Let's get you home and something to eat, ya?" Izumo coaxed gently.

Anna was no fool, she could read the stress and full-blown exhaustion that stretched across her second in command's face. Although she hated to leave Misaki alone, she would leave the hospital for Izumo's sake. She slipped off the plastic chair that was next to Misaki's bed, flattening the frilly dress she adorned. She glanced towards Misaki, as if to make sure that he hadn't been disturbed by her movement. Izumo stood by the door, gentle smile on his face as he held the door open for his king. Anna glanced towards her vanguard one last time before standing and leaving the room, silently wishing him a quick recovery.

0_0_0_0

He had been summoned by his lieutenant, and he knew exactly why. She stared across her desk at him as he forced himself to come off as aloof and bored. His façade was shitty, and he knew it, but she didn't question it and it made him rather thankful.

"So, you are aware that the reds' vanguard is in the hospital?" Aiwashima asked, her gaze cold and sharp as she awaited her answer.

"Yes." Fushimi bit out, his gaze landing anywhere but his lieutenant's eyes.

"You could just run from her too. We know it's been your preferred tactic as of late." Niki mused.

"And you came across this information how?" Scepter 4's second in command asked as she leant forwards, her elbows resting on her desk.

"I called the ambulance." Fushimi muttered, avoiding the question he knew she was asking.

"You stabbed him. Hah, he deserved it for trying to get close to you, Monkey!" Niki practically hollered with laughter, causing Scepter 4's third in command to wince.

Awashimi registered the action and raised a brow before speaking once more.

"He asked you for your help?" She murmured, as if she didn't believe that the reds' vanguard would ever reach out towards him.

"Yes." Fushimi answered with, annoyance leaking into his tone.

"Have you visited him?" His lieutenant asked.

Niki started laughing, causing Fushimi to clench his hands and sink lower in the chair opposite of Scepter 4's second in command.

"Fushimi, did you hear me?" She asked after a long bout of silence, on her part at least.

Niki hadn't stopped chuckling, which grained hard on Fushimi's nerves.

"Yes." Scepter 4's third in command bit out, though really, he had no idea what she'd asked, it'd been drowned out by his bastard of a father.

Awashima sighed heavily before leaning back into her chair.

"We're starting to worry Fushimi. You're so worked up you're ready to stab someone when they call out your name." She murmured while shaking her head.

Fushimi winced at the image of Misaki's shocked expression while Niki practically giggled with joy.

0_0_0_0

When Anna got a phone call at three in the morning, she knew it wasn't good news. No one called at three am. No one unless it was urgent…

She nearly puked when she answered the phone. The voice on the other end tried to encourage her to stay calm as they promised they were doing everything they could. No matter what they said, her nerves wouldn't calm. There was no way that she could stay calm.

0_0_0_0

Yukari grinned as he set his prize down in the gray room. There wasn't much to look at. Gray walls and a gray door that locked from the outside. A gray cot that would provide minimal comfort. Other than that, nothing that would be flammable, after all, he'd thought of that before hand. This was sure to get his attention. Fushimi Saruhiko wasn't broken, no. He wasn't entirely broken yet.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi stepped into the hospital, hands shoved deep within his pockets to hide the way he was clenching them. He didn't need to help in broadcasting his serious discomfort what with Niki in his head all the time. He turned the corner, ignoring the cops as they questioned the nurses, who seemed pale. What the hell was going on? And then he turned the corner where Misaki's room was supposed to be.

"You… You did this!"

Fushimi couldn't be bothered to remember the red's name, but he didn't much appreciate the way he was accusing him of whatever the hell was going on.

"Where the hell is he, asshole?!" The red growled. Fushimi ignored him and glanced over his shoulder, taking in the other HOMRA members and the glowers being sent his way.

"Eric… It wasn't Fushimi." Came Anna's gentle voice.

"How the hell do you know that, huh?! He's betrayed everyone who's ever been stupid enough to put their trust in him. First Yata, then his own king! Why would you put betraying an alliance above him?"

Ah, he remembered it now. Eric Solt. Misaki had gotten along with most everyone in HOMRA's group, so Fushimi couldn't be bothered with remembering everyone's name.

"Fushimi was following orders, Eric. You know that." Anna reprimanded, her soft voice growing a little sharper.

"I don't know shit when it comes to this asshole! All I know is that Yata's gone and he just comes waltzing in like everything is peachy!" Eric growled, shoving Fushimi back roughly.

"Common man, don't go starting something in a hospital." Kamamoto murmured as he grabbed Eric by the arm and pulled him back a step.

Eric snatched his arm back from the other's grasp, turning his glare back towards Fushimi.

"This asshole hasn't even said a word. He doesn't even care! It's his fault for hurting Yata in the first place! Where the hell is he asshole!? Where are you hiding him!?" Eric went to lunge at him again.

Fushimi didn't move, but Kamamoto stopped Eric by wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"Lemme go! Look at the smug look on his face! This asshole knows something!" Eric thrashed angrily.

Meanwhile, Fushimi had retreated into his own thoughts. Where the hell had Misaki gone? What the hell did they mean he was gone?! He looked up and locked his gaze with the red king's. She shook her head at his silent question.

They had nothing. No leads. No where to start. What was that idiot doing leaving the hospital in his shape!?

Or wait… There was one thing he could try.

"Tell us where he is or so help me-"

"I didn't take him. But I can find him." Fushimi stated, stopping Eric mid rant.

Anna looked up at him with hope in her eyes. How long had she been waiting to hear those words?

"What do you need?" She asked, silencing all the protest in letting the blue help in solving a HOMRA problem.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

Anna watched in amazed silence as Fushimi's fingers dashed across the keyboard. He sat in Izumo's bar, small portable device lighting up his features as his eyes took in way too much information way too fast for her to comprehend. The screen caused defining features to stand out. Defining features such as the dark black-ish, purple-ish bags that were holding his glasses up. As if sensing her gaze he looked up from the screen before turning it towards her. There was a pulsing blimp on the map before her.

"This is where Misaki is." Fushimi said before the screen darkened and he shoved it into his pocket.

"Let's go then!" Eric shouted having overheard the conversation between his king and the blue.

Anna turned her gaze towards her clan. The room was quiet but determination had settled on each and every face that looked back at her. Mikoto would be proud of how they'd grown. She slid off her bar stool, following Fushimi to the door. She could see the way he clenched his fingers as he walked, could see how tense his body was as he reached for the door.

"Fushimi." She murmured, stopping the blue in his tracks.

He turned back towards her and she felt as though she could read too much from the boy. Fushimi was too open. There were too many cracks. What was going on with the boy? She'd known him for years. She never got as close to him as she had with Yata, but it didn't mean she didn't care for the boy's safety. He was going to get himself killed like this.

"I want-" She started before Fushimi gave her a tired smirk.

"You aren't about to talk me out of going are you? You wouldn't even know where he was without me." Fushimi stated, his agitation not being hidden by the slight smirk on his lips.

Anna heard the growl that came from Eric but paid it no mind. She sighed before reaching out towards Fushimi. The blue flinched somewhat when she grabbed his hand in both of her tiny ones. His gaze sharpened on her but he didn't yank away.

0_0_0_0

One moment it was the bar that surrounded him, the next it was a wall of red. He should have felt slight panic but he couldn't bring himself too. The flames were gentle, almost simply caressing him. They didn't burn him as they encircled his body, they brought nothing but a slight sense of comfort. Just as if he'd imagined it, the flames dissipated and the red king took a step back. She smiled gently before speaking once more.

"Please help me find Misaki." She requested, gentle smile still in place.

Fushimi's gaze flickered to his fingers, watching as red skipped across them. He then returned his shocked gaze towards Anna. The members of HOMRA all shifted uncomfortably as their king smiled with no ailment. The only other member in which shock hadn't consumed their features was the damn bartender.

The red king had just granted him HOMRA's flame.

0_0_0_0

Yata blinked rapidly, feeling lethargic as he tried to sit up. His muscles screamed in protest. Why the hell was the damn hospital bed so uncomfortable? He winced before a hand instinctively shot down to his hip, where gauze hid a nasty looking gash from view. HOMRA's vanguard groaned as he finally mustered enough energy to sit up properly. His eyes traveled around the room slowly, taking in it's deplorable state.

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself.

This wasn't the hospital… where had the boring white walls gone? Where the hell was the IV that had been sticking out of his arm, not that he was complaining that it was gone. With a hand pressed to his hip he stood, teeth grinding lightly at the pain.

"What a pretty caged bird."

Yata's head whipped towards the door to find a small opening where he figured a window should have been. He squinted at the male before taking a step back from the door as it opened.

"You should sit back down, lest your stitches tear. That would truly not be beautiful."

Recognition nipped at his memory as the boy before him walked towards him. Yata's jaw clenched as he braced himself, his aura darkening as red flames began to rise from his body, announcing his intentions loud and clear.

"There will be no need for that." The man stated after chuckling bemusedly.

Yata rose his chin somewhat, finally realizing why he recognized the damn bastard. The blade pointed at his jugular stimulated his brain.

"What the hell do the greens want with HOMRA?" Yata growled, lifting his head away from Yukari's blade once more.

This seemed to amuse the green clansman because he chuckled, the blade in his hand seeming to fluctuate along with his laughter. Yata took this second of weakness to punch Yukari. Well, he tried to. It ended with a failed attempt and a jab from the green clansman's blade handle that sent him to his knees wheezing.

"I told you to take a seat little red." Yukari murmured as he sheathed the blade his master had given him.

All the while Yata fought to regain his breath. The gash in his hip sent pain through him in ripples, causing him even more pain. The green clansman yanked him up after having slipped a hand under the vanguard's arm. Yata growled at the pain that shot through him at the quick and strenuous movement. It was made worse when he yanked his arm away from the green and stumbled into the bench holding the cot he'd been sleeping on. Yata coughed before reaching down towards his hip. He looked down to see that red was taking over the white bandages. His attention snapped up as Yukari clicked his tongue, reminding him of a certain blue.

"I really wish you had listened to me in the first place." The green clansman grumbled before making his way towards the HOMRA member.

"Fuck you." Yata bit out, anger doing him nothing but draining energy.

"I don't think that your friend would be too pleased." Yukari murmured, slight smirk playing on his features.

He bent down and slipped his arms under the vanguard's knees and back before lifting him up. Yata winced at the movement but couldn't muster the energy to pull away once again. That and he really didn't want the ground to be catching him once again.

"Are you trying to cause a war? It's three kings against one! You already know you're done for." Yata growled as Yukari set him down against the cot.

"The fledgling poses no threat, and the blue's sword crumbles more each and every day. I find myself quacking more with excitement than fear these days."

Red flames began to lick around Yata's hands at the insult the green had thrown at his king.

"That's the only one you get," Yukari stated as he nodded towards the cot. "Burn it and you sleep on the ground."

The vanguard's flames flared, singing the cot somewhat before dying off. He was exhausted. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"I don't think anyone will be coming for you any time soon, so relax." Yukari stated, annoying Yata with another amused smirked.

"What do you know?!" The HOMRA member demanded, yelling sapping his energy even further.

His mind momentarily flickered towards Saruhiko, though why, he had no clue. Maybe it was because he'd saved him from the greens not too long ago. What a play of events. Yata ground his teeth before raising his arm. His heart dropped into his stomach.

"Where the hell is my PDA?" The red demanded angrily.

"Don't worry, you won't be needing it." Yukari stated before smirking. "You were thinking of him, right? What was his name? That blue you seem to like so much." The green mused.

"Who likes him?" Yata growled. "He just owes me big time! I bet you he's already here. You're gonna be in a whole lotta trouble when he busts that door down." The vanguard said with a slight triumphant smirk of his own.

The smirk fell as Yukari laughed.

"Hm? Who's coming to your rescue?"

Yata blinked rapidly because he was surely hallucinating. From behind Yukari stepped out a blue coat. One with blue eyes and a trademark smirk. What the hell was going on?!

"Who's coming to rescue you, Misaki?"

The name was drawn out and tortuously annoying. And yet Yata couldn't find it in himself to feel annoyed right now. The blood in his veins was ice as he stared at his childhood friend.

"What the hell is going on Saruhiko?" He demanded.

Yukari stepped back, allowing for Scepter 4's third in command to come into full view.

"How's the wound Misaki?" Saruhiko asked with his trademark smirk.

"You bastard!" The red growled angrily. "You've done it this time!" He clenched his hands at his sides. "You've betrayed the blues!"

0_0_0_0

Fushimi's eyes roamed the wreckage before him. Misaki was here? What the hell was going on? The blue brought his PDA up to check the coordinates once more before shoving it back into his pocket and following its pinpointed location. Anna was right next to him with HOMRA a few paces back as if warry that Fushimi was going to explode. Honestly, he figured they should be closer to Anna if they felt that way… not that he would try anything stupid such as fight a bloody king.

Fushimi stopped walking when his PDA vibrated within his pocket. He bent down before pushing a rock out of the way before he finally found what he was tracking. His aura darkened so quickly the whole of HOMRA, minus their king, took a step back. He stood back up after picking up what was on the ground before him. In his hands lay Misaki's PDA. The one that Fushimi had made him when they were kids.

Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance, fighting the urge to chuck the device across the open construction area. He looked up at the pale grey sky, feeling his annoyance growing by the second. Why the hell was his watch sitting out in the garbage heap? Did Misaki throw it out? Was it no longer something Misaki needed?

As if having sensed his thoughts the red king spoke.

"He never took it off." She stated with a slight smile, before it turned into a frown.

Fushimi's gaze was drawn back towards the watch when the screen lit up. He furrowed his brow before activating the notification. It was a voice recording. He pushed up his glasses before hitting the play button. There was a slight crackling before an angry voice came across.

"What the hell is going on Saruhiko?"

Fushimi recognized Misaki's voice instantly, though he couldn't recall any recent situation in which the energetic vanguard had asked him this question.

"You bastard!" Misaki yelled. "You've done it this time! You've betrayed the blues!"

Fushimi's eyes stayed on the watch even as the recording ended. What was Misaki talking about? Was this before the second time they'd fought with the greens? When he'd been following Munakata's orders?

"Anna! Don't you see!" Eric called angrily, his voice slicing through Fushimi's thoughts. "This asshole's the reason Yata's disappeared! He's taking us in circles and you've given him your power!" The red growled pointing an angry finger in Fushimi's direction.

Once again, Fushimi ignored him in favor of looking at the darkening sky again. It was going to rain. That or snow. It was so bloody cold out it'd probably be the latter. What was this recording? Why was Misaki's watch out here?

Fushimi's questions were answered when the watch lit up once more. A new message with a hidden sender sat on the screen. Ignoring Eric's continued angry spat, he opened the message.

"I really like the toy you've created."

Fushimi clicked his tongue in annoyance before another message popped up.

"I'd like to thank you for my caged bird."

Below the message sat a picture. Fushimi pursed his lips before opening it. He knew he wouldn't be happy, but seeing Misaki laying across such an ugly cot with blood soaking his hip caused his anger to flare. So much so that red licked up his legs.

"What the fuck?!" Fushimi heard Eric snap.

He'd had enough, he turned towards the red before speaking.

"If I wanted you dead you'd already be six feet under so stop bitching and get your shit together so we can find Misaki." He snapped before walking right by the stunned HOMRA member.

He missed the way both Anna and Kusangi fought to hide similar smirks before following after him, the rest of HOMRA eventually falling into step.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Yata dug his nails into his palms as his wound was dressed. Yukari had long since left and that snot-nosed brat with the scythe was treating his wounds, none too gently. HOMRA's vanguard turned away from the boy to glare at Saruhiko as he leant against the wall. How could he betray the blues? How after they'd talked about why he'd left the reds? Of course, it pissed Yata off, but HOMRA just wasn't Saruhiko's calling and he'd come to terms with that… somewhat. He still liked to pick on the blue though, constantly reminding him of what he'd done and how he had every right to be wary around his childhood friend… but this… this was too much. He'd betrayed a second king now? He wasn't much for rules and the way the blue king seemed to keep everything so orderly, but he had to not be happy with this… Anyone would be angry.

"Alrighty, finished." The brat stated, boredom emitted from his persona, before standing up and leaving the room.

Saruhiko simply stared at him with a bored look.

"What is it, Misaki?" The other drawled his name before smirking somewhat.

Yata turned away, anger summoning his red. Saruhiko merely chuckled, clearly not even inclined to worry. Taking a deep breath, Yata managed to dissipate the flames and turn away from the blue. He couldn't even look at him right now. That bastard… what the hell was going through his head when he walked out on yet another clan?

0_0_0_0

Fushimi clenched and unclenched his hands as he sat at Kusanagi's bar. He'd been staring at his screen for three hours to no avail. Anna was always close, whether to keep him from snapping at one of her clan members or to assist him in anyway. Kusanagi had set some food beside him some time ago. He hadn't touched it. The blue was staring a hole through Kusanagi's bar when an insistent beeping pulled him from his thoughts. He blinked back to reality before reaching towards his phone. The blue clicked his tongue as he recognized the contact that flashed on his screen. Putting the phone to his ear, he spoke clearly.

"It's Fushimi." He pulled his glasses off and chucked them onto the counter, letting his eyes fall closed.

"Fushimi? It's Awashima, you didn't come into the office so I was starting to worry."

Fushimi pulled his phone away from his ear to check the time. Blurry numbers stared back at him. The blue brought the device back to his ear as he pinched at the bridge of his nose.

"I'm on my way." He answered as he stood from the bar stool.

There was a pause on the other end before the lieutenant spoke.

"You're taking a sick day? I'll be sure to let the captain know."

"Huh?" Was the intelligent response that left Scepter 4's third in command's mouth.

"Make sure you rest up, Fushimi." Awashima stated softly before the line went dead.

Fushimi stood there for a couple minutes, slightly shocked at his lieutenant's behaviour. Was she pitying him? If so he didn't need it. Though, he wouldn't be calling her up and forcing his way into the office either.

"Everything alright Fushimi?"

The blue turned towards the red king before giving her half a nod. He turned back towards the bar, making his way back to the stool. He'd made it halfway towards the door when Scepter 4's second in command had stopped him in his tracks. He sat down, glancing towards Anna when she took a seat next to him.

"You should eat. I promise Izumo's food is really good." She urged before smiling softly.

Fushimi rolled his nose at the food set before him just as the bartender chuckled. Kusanagi had just ventured out from the kitchen. In his hand there was a plate of food.

"It's been so long since you ate here, I forgot that you hated green veggies." The bartender stated before shrugging. "My bad." He added before placing the plate of food in front of the blue. "This doesn't have anything you don't like in it, so I won't be taking no for an answer. I won't have Anna worrying about you all day." Kusanagi's voice became sharp at the end but the angelic smile he wore caused Fushimi to wonder if he'd just imagined it. His stomach growled in contempt at the sight of food. Sighing softly the blue picked up the fork before shoveling food into his mouth.

0_0_0_0

"I don't get who it is that he's talking to. He keeps going on about Saruhiko this, Saruhiko that. I think you broke him." Sukuna stated with a sigh as he stood in front of a monitor.

Yukari sat next to him, fiddling with a small device that didn't keep the young scythe wielder's attention for long.

"That's because he sees that blue clansman, you know, the one with the glasses? It's working beautifully for my scheme."

"The one that beat our last game?" Sukuna asked, his eyebrow twitching with anger.

Yukari merely smirked, amused with the way things were turning out.

"And? Have you left that damn strain trailing the four-eyed bastard?" The scythe wielder asked, trying to come off as indifferent, though his nose rolled slightly.

Yukari's antics always got them into trouble. This time he was riling up two clans. Try as he might, he couldn't leave a clan's mate to fight two clans on their own: plus, he would be able to challenge the blue again.

"No, dearest Sukuna, that is why our pretty caged bird is seeing our old clansman." Yukari murmured before setting the device on the table beside him.

0_0_0_0

It had been silent for too long. It reminded him of long nights… except this time there was no PDA to fiddle with, nor was there Anna to talk to. Yata blinked, staring at the white wall beside him. He was uncomfortable, but it would hurt more to change position.

"Suck it up and move, your fidgeting is driving me nuts."

Yata's brow twitched with annoyance but he chose to ignore the other's voice and focused on his own breathing instead. In, and then out. Again. The red was all too aware of how little counting sheep helped.

"Don't tell me that it hurts too much?" Saruhiko stated, his voice snide.

"And whose fault do you think that is?!" HOMRA's vanguard snapped, whirling to lock gazes with the blue. When his actions caught up with him he doubled over, hands instinctively finding the bandaging over his hip.

"You're not too bright Misaki." Saruhiko sighed before shrugging. "Didn't you think of why I stabbed you?"

At the other's word's Yata's gaze rose to meet Saruhiko's.

"How much easier do you think I made his job?" The blue asked with a slight smirk. "I mean… Just look where you're sitting."

Flames engulfed the whole room for about five seconds, but they never seemed to bother the blue. In fact, it only seemed to amuse him as he chuckled.

"You fucking traitor! I should have known that leaving me behind wasn't enough! You had to go and betray the fucking blues and get me kidnaped! Do you not understand what you've done!? Anna and the blue king… You wont… you're crazy…" HOMRA's vanguard lost his conviction as he stared at the indifference on Saruhiko's face. There was no remorse. There was no anger. He was one hundred percent happy with what he had accomplished. "You're trying to start another clan war…"

The door to his tiny room opened, dragging his attention away from Saruhiko.

"Don't you think you could be a little gentler with my pretty bird…" Yukari sighed, not even bothering to look in the blue's direction. "Just look what you've gone and done… You've burnt your cot to oblivion." The green looked dismayed as he picked up a piece of charred bedding. "As promised, you won't be getting another one." The katana wielder said with a smile before setting a tray of food next to the redhead.

Yata rolled his nose before turning away, even as his stomach betrayed him and growled.

"Eat." Yukari demanded.

"No thanks." The vanguard stated.

"Eat on your own or I'll force it down your throat." Yukari stated with an innocent smile.

Taking a piece of the food, Yata brought it to his nose, sniffing it while maintaining a glare towards the green clansman. Yukari rolled his eyes before Yata plopped the food in his mouth. It didn't taste weird, maybe a little sweet, but otherwise fine. He finished off his plate faster than he would like to admit, what with Yukari watching him and everything. After a good fifteen minutes of silence, he felt his eyelids begin to droop and his body feel slightly lethargic.

"You… fucking… bastard." He managed around numb lips.

Yukari merely smirked as the room grew darker.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi finished eating and was fiddling with his PDA when his pocket chimed. He reached towards it slowly, his fingers feeling numb as he pulled out the vanguard's watch. Anna watched his every move slowly, but the room seemed to otherwise be none the wiser of his actions, save for maybe Kusanagi. He met her scarlet gaze before he let himself into Misaki's watch. Another message from the unknown number awaited him.

'Thanks for the good work!'

The message held an attachment under the condescending words. Fushimi's thumb hovered over the attachment hesitantly before Anna placed a gentle hand on his arm. Deciding against wrenching his arm away, Fushimi clicked on the attachment.

In the next instant his fist smashed into the bar, scarlet erupting around it. Unexpectedly Kusanagi's bar withstood thee angry burst, though the bartender himself didn't look to pleased. Anna frowned before turning the screen towards herself to take a look. The room had grown quiet as a tiny gasp left her lips. HOMRA gathered around their king, eyes falling on the picture that had been sent to Misaki's PDA.

The picture was a closeup of someone's waist. From the angry gash and quick patch job that was done, it didn't take a rocket scientist to decipher just who was in the picture.

Clenching his jaw Fushimi plugged the PDA into his own, his fingers gliding over his keyboard at an inhuman speed. He'd already tried this. Already tried to back trace the message. It hadn't worked before, so it wouldn't work now, but damn it! He had to try!

Frustration gnawed at him as he kept hitting dead ends. Ripping the cables from his PDA he turned around and launched it across the bar as hard as he could. His chest heaved, anger radiating off of him as he felt a pair of small hands land on his forearm.

"Fushimi?..."

"I'm fine." He murmured before standing.

The HOMRA clan dispersed for him as he made his way across the bar and picked up his PDA. The screen was shattered, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance. Anna's voice was gentle as she spoke to him.

"We're gonna find Misaki… I promise." She stated as he turned towards her.

Of course they were going to find Misaki… but right now it was a matter of having no leads.  
0_0_0_0

Yukari sat in front of the HOMRA vanguard, studying him as the other rested. It was induced, but resting either way. His eyes traveled the redhead's body before landing on the other's face. He looked peaceful, his features void of the angry lines or those of suppressed pain.

"What does that blue even see in you?" The green murmured as he shifted the vanguard's position so that he got a better look at his hip.

It didn't look infected, but he was to avoid that at all costs… maybe he should call a doctor.

"So… He fear's his dead father… and you? I don't quite understand… Do you fear him? Or do you fear him drowning you out?" Yukari murmured to himself as he replaced the bandaging. "I wonder… Just what he'd think if he knew…"

The green clansman stood upright before heading towards the door.

"My beautiful caged bird and mouse in a labyrinth. What will be the next level… I can't wait."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The scene before Misaki wakes up is directly pulled from the second season of the anime and is not mine.**

Awashima looked up in shock as Fushimi stood at her doorway. He'd knocked, which already had her on edge. Usually Scepter 4's third in command was less in touch with his manners.

"Come in." She stated when she finally found her voice. "I thought you were taking a sick day." The lieutenant then added.

"Misaki is gone." Was all Fushimi replied, causing Awashima to frown.

She was well aware, she had been hopping he wouldn't find out about the case. The hospital had called a couple days ago and she was honestly hoping to kill two birds with one stone when she gave Fushimi the day off; have him rest and avoid coming into the office to both keep him from learning of the case and lessen his stress.

"We're working on it." She said calmly.

"What do you have?" Fushimi pressed, holding himself up with the back of one of her chairs meant for those who wanted to sit when speaking with her.

"We're following up with security footage-"

"So you don't have anything." Fushimi stated after having clicked his tongue.

Awashima frowned, keeping her gaze on Fushimi as he pulled away from her chair. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn't stopped, much less slept in the last week.

"We're handling it, you should head home Fushimi, try and get some rest before you become ill."

Scepter 4's third in command smirked ruefully.

"With all due respect lieutenant. I can't follow that order." He stated before leaving her office.

0_0_0_0

Sukuna poked at the vanguard that sat motionless on the hard surface where an ugly cot used to be sitting.

"I don't understand why you're even bothering with this." He stated with a sigh. "Won't they just find him eventually? What are you planning on doing then?" The green clan member asked.

"That's something only the future can tell. I'm just enjoying this elaborate game of cat and mouse while it lasts. It's been too quiet since the red king fell. I'm bored." Yukari murmured from where he sat, cleaning his blade to pass the time.

0_0_0_0

_"_ _Saruhiko? Hey, you alive?"_

_Seconds felt long as the vanguard waited for the blue's answer._

_"_ _You're… late."_

_Yata's eyes widened at Saruhiko's vulnerable state._

_"_ _And you call yourself a hotshot. What a joke."_

_"_ _Hey… Shut up. And why didn't you tell me anyways?" HOMRA's vanguard demanded._

_"_ _You know I can't talk about secret missions idiot, but, couldn't you guess?" The blue stated as he leant like dead weight against the red's back._

_"_ _Common! How was I supposed to guess that!?" Yata demanded. "You've always been like this you know… yea fine, so I'm stupid, that's why I won't get something unless you explain it!"_

_"_ _Would you have even understood. Even if I told you?" Saruhiko murmured._

_"_ _You could have figured something out! Explain til I got it! If you never told me anything about this and you died in here, I would have never known! Then I would have thought you were a traitor forever!" The vanguard exclaimed._

_"_ _But I am a traitor, remember?"_

_"_ _No you're not! You took this huge risk, putting your life on the line for the blue king just like I would have done for Mikoto or Anna… That means that the blue king really was your true king all along… So in my books… Saruhiko Fushimi of Scepter 4… is a real stand up guy."_

Yata blinked, the room before him hazy as he came to. He sat up slowly, hissing as pain flared up in his side.

"That's definitely infected. You should take better care of yourself, Misaki." Saruhiko murmured from across the room.

Yata didn't even bother acknowledging his presence. He sat up, his hand going to his side. The bandaging was gone and the gash was starting to look a little discolored. The vanguard sighed before leaning his back against the wall. He felt nauseous and didn't know whether to blame it on the stab wound or the foreign shit Yukari had fed him. Leaning his head back onto the cool wall Yata let his mind float back towards the dream he'd been having.

"Are you ignoring me Misaki?" Saruhiko drew out each syllable of his name, though whether it was from exhaustion or he just simply didn't want to, the vanguard didn't lash out at him, which drew an annoyed tongue flick from the blue.

"Saruhiko…" He murmured, turning towards the blue and locking his gaze on him. "What are you doing?" He asked earnestly.

He wondered if he was seeing things, but he was almost certain that Scepter 4's third in command looked lost.

"What are you talking about Misaki? I'm keeping watch over you." The blue said before turning away from him.

Somewhere in the back of his mind Yata wondered why the room was so hot, and with it being so hot, how it was that Saruhiko could be wearing all those layers.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi tapped on the counter, driving Kusanagi insane but keeping his own nerves in check by expending nervous energy. He yawned for the zillionth time, causing Anna to send him another worried look that he chose to ignore, yet again.

Misaki's watch sat on the counter when it buzzed and Fushimi had it in his hands before it had even finished vibrating. Letting himself into the PDA Fushimi was privy to a sound track that the unknown number had sent him. Anna glanced at him before her scarlet eyes fell bad onto her vanguard's PDA. The blue's thumb hovered over the play button before he pressed it.

"So, Saruhiko, what's the plan?"

Fushimi locked gazes with Anna again. That was Misaki's voice, and it sounded exhausted, devoid of the usual robust.

"You're just gonna sit there and pretend like this is normal?" Misaki continued.

Fushimi couldn't understand why it was that Misaki was speaking to him as if he was there.

"No, that's not it asshole. I want to know what the hell you're doing working with the greens. Didn't you tell me that the blues were your calling?" There was a slight tone of annoyance in Misaki's voice as he replied to nothing that Fushimi or Anna had heard.

There was the sound of a door opening, causing Misaki's voice to go silent.

"Good morning! How's your hip this morning?" Came a different voice that was distinctly not Misaki's. "You know if that isn't checked soon it'll get infected." The voice continued.

Fushimi felt his stomach turn. It hadn't looked good in the picture he'd gotten a couple hours ago. Or was it yesterday? He hadn't slept in a while, he really didn't know. How long had it been since Misaki was taken?

The blue jumped when Anna tapped his hand gently.

"It's going to be ok… Saruhiko, we'll find him."

Fushimi was startled to hear his first name leave the red king's lips and after just staring at her for what felt like a long minute, he simply nodded. The recording had stopped and Misaki's watch had just buzzed again. Fushimi opened the new message.

'You seem to be feeling a little better without your father breathing down your neck.'

The blue starred at the message, eyes wide. He thought nobody knew about Niki being in his head. If they did they'd send him to a psych ward… Now that he thought about it, he hadn't heard Niki's condescending sneer for a while now. Anna leant over his forearm, reading the message before turning a concerned look towards him. The blue turned away from her, letting the PDA's screen go black. He suddenly felt very tired.

"What did that message mean… I thought your parents had both passed away…" Anna murmured the last part softly.

"It's not a big deal. It's probably because I haven't slept for a while. I'm fine." The blue stated, trying to come off as nonchalant.

"You know I can tell when you're lying… right?" The red king murmured with a frown.

Fushimi's gaze shifted back towards Anna before he sighed.

"I was hearing my old man's voice in my head every now and then… wasn't a big deal." He stated.

"That must have been why Seri called." Kusanagi stated, effectively making the blue jump. "She called us and we sent Yata out to check on you… and this lead to that. And now we're here…" The bartender lead off before chuckling awkwardly.

"It can only be…" Anna muttered before frowning.

Fushimi turned back towards her with a piercing gaze. He could tell she was onto something.

"What? It can only be what?" He demanded, tasting his first lead in days.

"A strain…" Anna's voice was barely over a whisper before her scarlet gaze fell to the floor. "If I'm right, the strain was able to pinpoint memories of your past. I don't really know if that's what happened… but if it were the case than we now have a lead as to why Misaki is always talking to you in the messages we get."

Fushimi had never heard the red king speak for so long, but no matter how crazy he wanted to tell her she was, her words actually made sense.

"Then the reason I'm not being targeted by my bastard of a father is because the strain is focusing on Misaki?" The blue asked, talking out loud.

"I can't say for certain, but I believe if the strain was capable of inflicting its illusions on the both of you then you'd still be hearing… your father, because that put you off." Anna explained, earning a nod from Fushimi.

"Why is Misaki seeing me?" The words left his lips without permission and Anna's eyes widened before she smiled softly.

"Maybe the strain fixates memories that causes it's host extreme stress." She murmured softly.

Fushimi grimaced without realizing that he had.

"For you, having your father in your head was extremely taxing… Maybe for Misaki… Having you leave your clan causes him to worry. In each message we've received Misaki has exclaimed his opposition to you joining the greens. Maybe he sees you because he's worried about you, Saruhiko."

The blue looked away from Anna and reached towards Misaki's PDA again.

"That idiot has other things he should be worrying about…" He grumbled, not missing the knowing smile that played on the red king's lips.

He let himself into the vanguard's PDA again, opening the messages from the unknown number and studying them. He opened the photos again, eyes dancing over them, the image reflected in his lenses. He pushed exhaustion to the back of his mind, adamant on finding something, anything, that would help them. Anything that could disclose Misaki's location… because Misaki was waiting on him, and he owed the red after he'd saved his life the last time.

0_0_0_0

Anna gave Izumo a smile as he set food in front of both her and Saruhiko. She'd chosen to use his first name. He was working to bring her vanguard back and she called everyone in her clan by their first name. The shock on his face had caused her to worry slightly but he simply continued on with their conversation. She wondered if he was letting her in, maybe if just a little. He was never one to rely on others, but she wanted him to know that he wasn't alone on this one. Sure, he relied on Misaki, but he would have to work with her to bring Misaki back. She brought the glass of juice that Izumo had set out for her to her lips as Fushimi's eyes darted across the screen, searching frantically for anything that would lead them that much closer to her vanguard. Suddenly his shoulders locked and his eyes widened. His fingers worked to enlarge something on his scene before a smirk split across the blue's face. If Anna was being honest she'd say he looked scary.

"I found you." He murmured lowly to himself and Anna couldn't help the small flutter of excitement that played in her chest.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Yata's face felt flush as he pushed himself against the cool wall behind him. The room was too bloody hot. Saruhiko hadn't said a word in an hour and the vanguard was left there, watching the blue on his PDA while in the three different layers that the blue's uniform brought and only feeling that much warmer thanks to that aspect. His head was starting to hurt too. It wasn't the headaches he got when sleep deprived, it was a pounding headache that got worse with each and every pulse of pain. His eyes were closed as he tried to relax, though his situation was not helping.

0_0_0_0

Saruhiko's smirk didn't leave as he turned the PDA towards Anna. The red king's gaze fixated itself on the screen looking rather lost before she shook her head and glanced back up at him.

"Look at the blade. The sword." The blue insisted as he zoomed in a little closer to pinpoint what he wanted her to see.

The red king turned her attention towards the image once more, focusing on the blade that Saruhiko had zoomed in on. At first she didn't see anything, but as she stared, searching for what the other had found, her eyes suddenly widened. It was so small, and yet… they would be able to find Misaki this way!

Anna turned to see Saruhiko half way across the bar already heading for the door.

"Hold on Saruhiko, I know you're worried but we can't be running into this blind." Anna called after him. "We should formulate a plan-"

"Do you think that idiot would have waited around to formulate a plan if it was me?" Saruhiko called back as he rushed out the door.

The whole of HOMRA had grown so silent that a pin drop could be heard in the room. Anna sighed, though there was a smile on her face.

"So, what's the plan, king?" Izumo asked as he leant against the bar beside her.

0_0_0_0

Yukari was relaxing, his blade balanced against the wall beside him as he watched the cameras idly. His eyes rose from the monitor where his cage bird sat when Sukuna burst into the quiet room. A smirk was on the younger boy's lips, accompanied by a somewhat crazed look that Yukari thought quite strange.

"Yes?" He exasperated, both looking and sounding bored.

"The cheater is back." The green clansman stated, a fire ablaze in his eyes.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi skidded to a stop as he blocked another one of Yukari's heavy blows. Sweat dripped down his neck and caused tingles down his spine.

"Get out of my way!" He hissed, growing more and more annoyed as the green easily parried each and every one of his strikes with ease. His aura grew redish bluish as he depended on both his clans to support his skills, and still, Yukari seemed to dance circles around him.

"You don't actually plan on saving my little canary like this, do you?" The green clansman asked with a sigh, causing Fushimi's anger and annoyance to flare further.

As the fight went on Fushimi could feel exhaustion gripping his bones even as he tried to dismiss it to the back of his head, reminding himself over and over that Misaki was just beyond the asshole with the katana.

0_0_0_0

Izumo walked silently beside her as she followed Saruhiko's trail. He'd run off on his own and although she was worried for him, the red king knew he would do everything in his power to get Misaki back where he belonged. When she first heard the sound of blades colliding her fingers twitched in anticipation. Izumo glanced at her, a small grin present as her family chanted around her.

"No blood, no bone, no ash!" They hollered, red flames encasing them before they split off to attack.

Izumo made his presence known in Saruhiko's fight, for the blue was already fighting Yukari and unfortunately, his sword skills were subliminal next to the green clansman. Saruhiko had been on the defensive until Izumo had pulled his lighter from his pants, flames growing at his will. Anna herself stood beside him, eyes narrowed in an angry glare that pinned the green clansman to his spot.

"Go find Misaki." She commanded.

0_0_0_0

Yata's eyes were on the door that separated his room from the hallway. That separated him from freedom. It had been quiet for way too long. Usually the green swordsman came to visit him around this time.

Yata tried to stand, but the action cause pain to run through his whole body. Lifting his tank top weakly he hissed at the mess that lay hidden under it. He'd never gotten this badly injured before. Reaching towards it, he winced as merely brushing his fingers over the wound cause immense pain.

"Why are you playing with your wound Misaki?" Saruhiko asked, looking up from his PDA.

HOMRA's vanguard chose to ignore the blue in favor of trying to push himself back up again. Grunting in pain, he forced himself onto his own two feet. The process was slow and grueling, but eventually he was standing on his own.

"Fuck…" He gasped as he stumbled towards the door on shaky legs.

He tried to summon his aura but it didn't want to listen. His vision was starting to waver, but he refused to give in to his weakness. The door was the only thing keeping him from HOMRA. They were probably insane with worry; Anna was probably worried sick. While lost in thought the red clansman tripped over his feet and allowed the floor to catch him.

Coughing violently, Yata curled in on himself. The room was spinning so now he was absolutely certain. The stab wound that the asshole who was sitting two feet away from him had inflicted was definitely infected. His breathing was laboured as he lay on the cold floor.

"What are you trying to do Misaki?" Saruhiko asked, his words dripping with his condescending attitude.

_Need to get out… Gotta find Anna… Kusanagi…_

0_0_0_0

Izumo and Yukari stood a few meters apart from each other. They hadn't moved since Saruhiko had taken off. Yukari had attempted to keep the blue but Izumo had put an end to that quite quickly.

"Where's Misaki?" Anna demanded, her aura encasing her and her second hand.

Her clansman seemed to feed off of her energy as they too allowed their auras encase them as they put the green clansman to sleep.

Upon hearing Anna's words Yukari merely smirked. Izumo glanced down as Anna's aura began to lick at the tiles at their feet.

"Where is Misaki?" Anna asked once more, her words resonating around them.

"The little Canary? Probably taking a little nap. No need to worry. I take great care of my pets." The swordsman stated.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi was running down hallways, barely catching signs. He could care less what was in these rooms, he was only looking for one thing. For one person. The hallways twisted and turned, and he had no idea which way he was going. The usually strategically intelligent Scepter 4's third in command was rushing against time to find a wounded Misaki. He glanced in each room, finding nothing in them. Nothing until he heard something fall from the floor above him. Glancing up he doubled his speed, making his way back towards the staircase he'd passed by earlier. Taking the stairs two at a time the blue made it to the next floor in record time. Approaching the doors the same way as he had downstairs, he eventually came to a room with a body laying in the middle in a fetal position.

_Misaki! Just hold on._

The blue clansman threw the door open, managing to work the lock just the right way, before dropping onto his knees and reaching for Misaki's neck. his fingers found a weak pulse. A shaky sigh of relief left his lips before he carefully turned the vanguard over so that he was laying on his back. His face was too pale and the way he grimaced at the lightest of touches played on Fushimi's nerves.

0_0_0_0

Yata felt himself being forced to lay on his back. Everything hurt. He peeled his eyes open with great force. His vision was swimming, he was seeing at least two Saruhiko's right now. The red clansman pushed weakly at Saruhiko's hand.

"Don't touch… me." He breathed out.

Saruhiko clicked his tongue before reaching towards Yata's tank top. He pulled the fabric up and paled slightly.

"We gotta go. Now." Saruhiko stated before putting his arm under Yata's shoulders and lifting him up.

The red clansman hissed in pain before he heard Saruhiko's laughter. Except… this was coming from the corner of the room. There was a Saruhiko trying to pick him up and a Saruhiko just laughing at him.

"There are… two of you…" Yata murmured weakly, his gaze glued to the Saruhiko that was mocking him.

Saruhiko followed his gaze before clicking his tongue.

"That's not me, idiot." He grunted as he lifted Yata off the floor.

The red clansman hissed in pain again, causing Saruhiko to glance down at him.

0_0_0_0

He completely missed the blow that knocked him back into the cell. Fushimi dropped Misaki and the other yelped in pain before curling in on himself again. The blue was quick in drawing his throwing blades, but they were all deflected by a scythe before the young boy let himself out.

"Have a nice nap." The boy offered with a slight smirk before he pulled the door shut behind him.

Saruhiko's eyes snapped towards the vents in the room as a fog started to make its way into the room. He pressed his sleeve to his nose and mouth, making his way towards the door.

_Shit! Shit! Shiiiiit!_

The blue thought as he tried to jimmy the lock again. Glancing through the window he saw that it was blocked. Fushimi sent a panicked glanced towards Misaki who was out cold, surrounded by the gas. He silently wondered if it was poisonous. Pulling his sword out as a last resort, the blue swung it erratically against the door. It barely sliced the surface of the metal. His vision was starting to get hazy and his legs wobbled, refusing to hold his weight up any longer. He swayed on his feet, fighting to keep conscious. His body refused to keep up with him and eventually collapsed on him.

"Mi… saki…" The blue murmured as he tried to push himself back up.

_Please… be ok…_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The blue awoke to the sound of incessant beeping and a sterile smell. He blinked before sitting up groggily, a hand making its way to his head instinctively as a pulse of pain hit him. The events that had happened before he lost consciousness rushed him all at once, causing him to tense before he heard the sound of clothing rustling. He tried to pull a throwing blade from his reservoir but found it empty. He quickly reached for his blade but found it missing from his hip. Of course the green swordsman had robbed him of his weapons. Fushimi felt his heart stop when a tiny hand settled on his clenched fist.

"Saruhiko… I'll go get the doctor."

Scepter 4's third in command looked up at the strain girl with a shocked face. That's when he really took in his surroundings. The white and sterile room spoke of exactly where he was. Glancing to the side he found the source of the beeping that was driving him nuts, and found that it wasn't that annoying anymore. Laying unconscious in the bed next to him HOMRA's vanguard was hooked up to a heart monitor. The blue studied his vitals and let a sigh of relief pass through his lips, silent to most but he knew the strain girl had heard it because she had smiled.

The second the red king stepped out the lieutenant took her spot. Fushimi's eyes were glued to Misaki nonetheless. Even as the lieutenant spoke to him.

"Fushimi. I gave you the day off with the intentions of having you rest up. This is the complete opposite." Awashima declared as she crossed her arms across her chest. Upon receiving no answer from her subordinate, she sighed heavily. "After having heard the details from the red king herself I understand the situation and am incline to let you off with a simple scolding." She continued.

Fushimi reached towards the nightstand next to his bed and pushed his glasses onto his face. One of the lenses was cracked, causing him to click his tongue in annoyance.

"What happened after I found Misaki?" He asked, his voice gravely from disuse.

The lieutenant sat at his bedside before shutting her eyes. Scepter 4's third in command leant back into his hospital bed, his muscles and head alike screaming for him to relax.

"The red king herself found you in the cell room, her vanguard a few feet away. The both of you had inhaled the gas. She had Izumo help her with you two. As soon as you were emitted into the hospital I received a call informing me of the situation." The lieutenant stated.

"Why am I in here? I'm fine." Fushimi stated as he threw his blankets to the side and tried to get up. His lieutenant was quick in placing her hands on her subordinate's shoulders and forcing him to lay down once again.

"No, you're not. The gas could still cause some problems. You're to spend at least the next two days in the hospital being monitored." Awashima commanded before taking a seat once more as Fushimi himself clicked his tongue. "Let us take care of you, Fushimi." She then added with a small smile.

0_0_0_0

Yata was groggy as he opened his eyes. His head was foggy, and he didn't much feel any of the pain that came along with an infected stab wound. Opening his eyes he took in the heart monitor and then the bag hooked up above him. His gaze followed the tube before finding it hooked up to his arm.

"You're finally up."

Yata's heart stopped before he turned towards his neighbor's bed. Sitting there, dark hair disheveled and glasses encasing those arrogant blue eyes sat the bane of his existence.

"You! You're with the fucken greens!" The HOMRA vanguard exclaimed before trying to sit up and failing miserably.

"Idiot!" Saruhiko hissed before shaking his head. "Lay down, your wounds are being treated and they have you on some medication to keep the pain at bay so you can rest."

"I can't believe you betrayed the blue king for real!" Yata hissed as he struggled with the blankets on top of him.

"I haven't betrayed my king!" Saruhiko stated before getting up and making his way towards Yata.

"I don't believe it! You're a traitor! Through and through! Betraying Mikoto wasn't enough! You went and left the blues for the greens of all people!? Didn't you tell me that the blue king was your king?! I can't—"

"Shut up for a second!" Saruhiko hissed before tugging the red clansman's blankets back up to cover him even as he struggled. "Misaki! You're acting like a child." The blue clansman growled in annoyance as the reds' vanguard struggled against the blanket. "It wasn't me. It was in your head!"

Yata froze, his gaze widening before they narrowed in Saruhiko's direction.

"You're a lying liar." The red stated before turning his back to the blue. "I don't believe you. You just sat there… Laughed at me while I struggled to fuckin stand up properly. And then the gas came out of nowhere and still you laughed at me…" As he finished off that sentence he found himself succumbing to unconsciousness once again.

0_0_0_0

Anna came in with a man in a white coat to find Saruhiko breathing heavily and clutching the blankets that he'd seemed to have pulled over Misaki.

"Saruhiko?" The red king asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"The idiot was trying to get up." The blue answered, his gaze traveling towards the unconscious red below him.

The doctor made their way towards the monitor beside Saruhiko. The blue stepped back, allowing the doctor access.

"Mr. Fushimi, you should lay back down. Although most of the symptoms from the gas have passed you're still going to be experiencing some pretty bad migraine like headaches. It's your body's way of telling you it's fighting the remaining assailants." He said, back still turned towards the blue as he wrote down some figures on the clipboard in his hands.

"And him?" Saruhiko asked as he sat on his hospital bed. "How's his… wound?"

Anna could read the pain in Saruhiko eyes as he asked the doctor. She was absolutely aware of the fact that the blue blamed himself for what had happened to her vanguard. She sighed silently. Both vanguards relied too heavily upon themselves.

"The stab wound was something of a worry for us. It was starting an infection that would have definitely caused unfavorable results if we hadn't caught it as we had. Other than that, he was more susceptible to the gas that was used because of his weakened state. We have him on some painkillers to both fight the pain of the headaches and the medication that's still eating away at the infection as we speak." The doctor said before setting his clipboard down and approaching the blue.

Anna watched as the doctor reached towards Saruhiko and checked his reaction time and performed a few more tests before telling him to get some more rest. He stopped in front of Anna before smiling gently.

"We're pretty much out of the rough waters Ms. Kushina. Your family should be well as long as they rest as instructed." He stated before she bowed her head in thanks.

"Thank you doctor." She said gently before the door shut behind the older gentleman and she made her way towards the two occupants of the room.

"Saruhiko." She called gently.

"I'm resting." The blue murmured, his back turned towards the red king.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself." She stated as she took the seat that Awashima had been sitting in only a couple hours ago.

Reisi had passed by earlier while Saruhiko was resting. He'd had that same hard to read but amused grin on his face as he took in the two clansman that had been resting.

Anna smiled softly as she watched Saruhiko force his muscles to untense. She leaned back into the hard, plastic chair, her gaze turning upwards towards the ceiling.

"He's going to be ok." She murmured gently.

"The idiot needs to train more." The blue spat as his pulled the hospital sheets up and over his shoulders.

"As long as you guys keep looking out for each other like you have always done, everything will end well." The strain said softly, not missing the way that Saruhiko clicked his tongue.

0_0_0_0

Izumo knocked gently on the door before sliding it open as quietly as he could. Anna looked up before putting a finger to her lips to let her second hand and HOMRA's strategist know to keep as quiet as possible. In his hands he held some food for the red king. He inclined his head towards the hallway before Anna pushed herself up and followed him out.

"Thanks for the food." The young strain murmured as Izumo handed her a small bag, nodding in acknowledgement soon after.

"I heard Fushimi opened his eyes." The bartender stated as he sat beside his king and unwrapped his food.

"Misaki did as well. Saruhiko had to tuck him back in." The red king said before giggling lightly as her second gave her a knowing smile.

0_0_0_0

Fushimi straightened the cuffs to his coat before strapping his sword to his hip where it rightfully belonged. He was finally being discharged out of the damn hospital. The doctors and nurses alike had driven him nuts for the better part of his visit. Misaki had woken in his delirious and drugged state a few times and it was usually to inform him of how he'd slandered the blues.

Scepter 4's third in command shook his head as he let his arms fall to their sides. He'd finished signing all the paperwork that lead to his release before changing so he could leave once he'd gotten rid of that god-awful hospital gown. As he stepped out of the hospital he hadn't expected the captain himself to make an appearance.

"Ah, Fushimi. Anna told me you were being released today." The blue king stated as he pushed himself off of the pillar he'd been leaning against. Saruhiko clicked his tongue out of annoyance as his king chuckled bemusedly. "Don't you want to hear of the progress we made without our wonderous hacker?" Munakata continued.

"I assume I don't have much of a choice." Scepter 4's third in command stated with a sigh.

"You always have a choice, Fushimi." Munakata stated with a small grin. The aforementioned subordinate clicked his tongue once more. "Domyoji really missed you." Munakata added, earning an annoyed glare from his subordinate.

"Please don't waste my time, captain." Fushimi stated, letting his annoyance seep into his words.

Munakata, seemingly amused by the situation continued to chuckle.

"We found the building that you decided to storm with the red clan." The blue king stated, earning Fushimi's attention once more. "There wasn't much to be gathered from the building. It was mostly unoccupied, save for the unconscious forms of my subordinate and red clan's hot headed vanguard." Fushimi was growing impatient, though he assumed Munakata knew this. "The green clansman were long gone before we made our way onto the premise. Anna had prioritized the wellbeing of her clansmen over the capture to the greens."

Fushimi straightened up as Munakata regarded him with a raised brow.

"What?" Scepter 4's third in command demanded as his king scrutinized him.

"After Mikoto passed, your flames should have disappeared." The blue king stated before crossing his arms over his chest. "But as information would have it, it's as strong as, if not more, as if the red king herself granted you the power." Munakata probed.

Once again Fushimi clicked his tongue before turning away from his king.

"What business is it of yours if I-"

"Fushimi, I just want to make sure I know where your loyalties lie." Munakata stated as he pushed his lenses up.

Clickling his tongue again Fushimi turned his gaze towards his king.

"I chose my king a few years back when you had worked your way to the top in Scepter 4. That hasn't changed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Yata stretched his arms above his head, letting a groan of content leave his lips. He’d swapped his ugly, blue hospital gown for his usual white long sleeve and green cargo pants. A nurse passed him a clipboard filled with papers and he grabbed a pen, getting to work on his get out of jail pass.

“I fucken missed pockets.” He muttered to himself as he signed the discharge papers.

The nurse gave him a look of disapproval, probably because of his language. Anna seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts as he handed the nurse the clipboard. Making his way over, Yata scratched at the back of his head nervously before stopping right in front of her.

“Anna?” He questioned, his docile tone a contrast to his usual brash behaviour. “I really didn’t mean to cause this much trouble…”

As if blinking out of a trance, Anna turned towards her vanguard before sighing. She pushed herself off of the uncomfortable hospital chair before making her way towards the exit.

“Both you and Saruhiko are so similar is pains me.” She muttered loud enough for Yata to catch.

Hot anger boiled like molten lava, his fists clenching at his sides.

“Don’t mention the damn monkey.” Yata growled before seeming to remember who he was talking too.

Anna however, looked unfazed. She glanced back at Yata with an easy going smile that he wasn’t able to decipher.

“He’s important to you Misaki.” She said as the automatic doors closed behind the both of them. “And you’re important to him.” She added, turning away with a grin that only became decipherable when he laid eyes on a blue coat making his way down the street. “He was here every night. He would pass at the same time, every night. I think he might have been worried about you, Misaki.” Anna’s smile was fond, but Yata only felt cold.

The lava was gone, and in its place confusion froze his anger. As Saruhiko continued walking away, something within him yearned to follow after him. At the same time, memories of the last time he followed Saruhiko flashed through his eyes.

“Follow your heart Misaki. It’s never lead you astray before.” Anna pushed before looking up into the bright blue sky.

Yata wanted to beg to differ. His heart had been betrayed one too many times. Usually by a smug, glasses wearing asshole that held way too much power over Yata’s feelings for it to be comfortable. He swallowed audibly, fists clenching at his sides again, eyes falling closed. Even with them closed that smug grin and dark blue eyes taunted him. Before he even realized it, he was sprinting down the sidewalk. Although his side was sore, he pushed through the crowd, looking for that blue coat. Looking for that smug grin. He needed to know. He wanted to know.

“Saruhiko!” He called, reaching out for the blue.

Surprised, blue eyes widened, shoulders tensing as Yata grabbed them. Pulling the blue to a stop, Yata whirled him around, his chest heaving from the exertion his body wasn’t used to after spending so much time in the hospital.

“What are you doing running around after just being discharged, you idiot.” Saruhiko clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed with the situation.

“I don’t understand!” Yata practically yelled.

Saruhiko winced, causing Yata to look up in shock. His fingers were digging into the blue’s arms. Relinquishing his grip Yata looked away in slight panic. He glared at the ground for a few seconds before ruffling his hair and yelling in anger.

“Use your words Misaki.” Saruhiko taunted, riling Yata up even further.

“I don’t fucken understand you!” HOMRA’s vanguard shouted, his cheeks red with anger and another emotion he could quite understand.

0_0_0_0

“The reds and blues are at it again…”

Fushimi looked away from the fiery red head in front of him to take in the crowd amassing around them. Clicking his tongue he grabbed Yata’s arm, ignoring all demands—mixed in with curses—of where they were going. Once he’d turned and twist through the labyrinth of an alleyway that was part of their city, he finally deemed this quiet corner to be acceptable for whatever meltdown Misaki was having in front of him.

“Misaki…” Fushimi let the name flow out as more of a sigh than the taunting matter it would usually pass through his lips.

“I don’t get it! Why?!” HOMRA’s vanguard grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

Fushimi didn’t quite understand what it was that Misaki was trying to ask, he was too busy questioning himself. Why was he letting Misaki grab at him so easily? Usually this would spike their usual dance, and blue would clash with red. Purple would flash and sparks would rain. However, today, there was no board to catch his blade. No baton to deflect his knives. If he were to summon any power, Misaki would be easy pickings…

“Saruhiko!” Misaki exasperated.

The blue clicked his tongue, eyes traveling to HOMRA’s vanguard’s. Misaki was way too worked up. His eyes gleamed with anger and uncertainty. At least they both shared an understanding in that front.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to ask idiot.” Another click of his tongue echoed in the alleyway.

“Why the hell did you just sit there?! I was…” Misaki paled and his grip fell from Fushimi’s shoulders.

Silence encased them until Misaki lifted his gaze once again. Fushimi’s eyes widened in response to the tears swimming there.

“I was dying and all you did was laugh at me!” Misaki rubbed aggressively at his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt before pinning Fushimi with his gaze once again. “You watched as that feminine asshole drugged me. As he fucken made a fool of me!”

Misaki shoved him back, and Fushimi wasn’t ready for it. He stumbled back and barely caught himself with his own feet. Misaki was shaking, but Fushimi couldn’t tell if it was from anger or from something else.

“I know we’re not as close as we were when we were kids… But for fucks sake Saruhiko! I thought we finally flipped to the same goddamn page after the alliance. When you told me that the blue king was your king. I thought…” He trailed off and Fushimi inhaled but felt restricted.

His fingers were cold. No matter how many times he tried to take a breath it seemed to cut off half way.

“If the blue king… If he was your king, then why the hell did you switch to the greens?!”

Irritation bloomed angrily within Scepter 4’s third in command’s chest. His fists clenched at his sides before his gaze narrowed on HOMRA’s vanguard.

“What do I have to say to get it through your thick skull? I am a member of Scepter 4 Misaki.” Annoyance was clear in his voice, but the revelation was enough for HOMRA’s vanguard, because he too grew annoyed.

“Liar!” He yelled, red licking up his legs.

Fushimi’s own aura danced around his fingers. Much to his chagrin, red danced carefully around his digits. Misaki’s eyes widened before red screamed around them, encasing the alleyway in barely concealed heat.

“What the fuck? What the hell did you do to Anna?!”

Anger was the catalyst to the reds’ power. Fushimi knew this, but he couldn’t rein his own growing anger in. His own flames danced angrily in response to Misaki’s. The blue’s power required calm, reined in emotions. He couldn’t summon it now if he tried. It’s probably why he couldn’t summon it before. Even as he forced himself to try and at least appear unfazed by the words Misaki was spitting at him, he was losing that battle.

“I didn’t do anything to Anna!” The blue snapped, his fists clenching angrily at his sides. “I went to her, to help you!”

Fushimi never yelled, never appeared as disheveled as he has in the last few months.

“I did it for you, asshole!” His flames flared, fueled by his anger. “I helped to find you!” His teeth were gritted.

Misaki looked taken aback, but he wasn’t going to back down. Fushimi knew him too well to even expect him to take a second to rationally put the pieces together.

“You were right there! Told me that you stabbed me on purpose… Made it easier for them to kidnap me…” His conviction was dying out, but it simply made the hurt easier to see.

“You’re such an idiot…” Fushimi clicked his tongue more out of exasperation then annoyance.

Misaki leveled him with a glare, building up to retaliate before Fushimi cut in.

“Give me a chance to talk.” He stated with a roll of his eyes. “It was a strain idiot… Scepter 4 was going after it. Somehow the greens were able to use that to their advantage. It attached itself to me first…” Fushimi’s eyes fell to Misaki’s hip and glared at the spot he’d stabbed him. “I was hearing my old man.”

“That must have been why your lieutenant called us…” Fushimi’s eyes snapped back up to Misaki’s face. He was holding his chin pensively before having a moment of realization. “Why’d the strain show you your dick of a dad and me you?” He asked.

“Looking into it… We were able to discover that the strain attacks ones fears using memories.” Fushimi hated feeling so exposed. He didn’t want to talk about fearing his piece of trash dad. Niki was in the past, hopefully for good this time.

“Are you saying I’m scared of you?” Misaki demanded, getting right into the blues face.

Fushimi smirked despite the tense atmosphere.

“It’s your own fears Mi~sa~ki.”

Misaki sputtered before stepping right back up into Fushimi’s personal space.

“No fucken way!” He decided before crossing his arms. “I refuse! I’m not fucken scared of you.”

Fushimi chuckled, causing Misaki’s jaw to slacken in slight shock. His cheeks darkened in what Fushimi could only assume was embarrassment.

“Don’t laugh at me asshole!” He hissed, embarrassment leaking into his tone.

“You’re not afraid of me, idiot.” Fushimi snickered.

“Damn straight!” Misaki practically yelled, his pride making its way into his speech. “But… Then why did I see you?” It was quieter, a testament to his uncertainty.

“You’re probably afraid of being betrayed again…” Fushimi let his gaze fall away from the boy in front of him.

_“For you, having your father in your head was extremely taxing… Maybe for Misaki… Having you leave your clan causes him to worry. In each message we’ve received Misaki has exclaimed his opposition to you joining the blues. Maybe he sees you because he’s worried about you, Saruhiko.”_

Anna’s words float in the back of his mind, but he chooses to block them out in favor of watching Misaki sputter in front of him.

“W-What?!” HOMRA’s vanguard exclaimed. “I’m scared of being betrayed again?...”

Fushimi’s gaze splits away from Misaki, fixates itself on the brick wall behind him. He doesn’t want to see the hurt in his eyes. Is afraid of how it squeezes the air out of his chest.

“Saruhiko. You didn’t betray me.”

Fushimi blinks before returning his gaze. Misaki is smiling at him. It’s too open, too revealing.

“Just because the red clan wasn’t for you, doesn’t mean you betrayed me. It’s just… You could have talked to me about it, y’know?” Misaki is rubbing sheepishly at the back of his head.

Fushimi feels relief flood through his chest, chasing the cold out. Misaki’s easy smile dispels the ache that was cutting off his breath.

“You’re impossible…” Fushimi breathes with a soft smile.

“What?! What do you mean I’m impossible!?” HOMRA’s vanguard shouts as Fushimi turns and starts walking towards the exit. “Hey! I’m being super understanding here! Saruhiko!” Misaki catches up with him, easily matching his strides as he makes his way towards the busier streets. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

Fushimi knows there’s a smile on his face. It’s been there since middle school, when a stupid, fiery brat invaded his privacy in that bathroom. He couldn’t block him out back then and he can’t bring himself to do it now.

“You win Misaki.” Fushimi says with a small smile etched into his features.

“Huh?! Win what?! What the hell are you talking about Saruhiko?” HOMRA’s vanguard demands.

_There was never a doubt in my mind._

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Finished another one~  
> Ok folks, I apologize that there's no kiss, but I couldn't fit it without making Saru completely OOC  
> I actually feel that this ending has a lot more to say than any kiss could have.  
> I hope you guys enjoyed it!  
> Anime4us


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